Central Ohio Real Estate - Sandra Thomas Blogs

Today’s mortgage rates are at historic lows but history suggests they won’t stay there. Because home buyers may never see these rates again, they need to BUY NOW, says Marc Roth, president of Home Warranty of America. In an article written for Business Week, Roth states, “If you want to buy a house, now is the time, and if you ...

Columbus, Ohio's diversified regional economy helped it to avoid many of the economic aftershocks that came after the housing bubble. With properties for all budgets and all buyers, steady home values and brighter unemployment, "it is a great time to be a home buyer in Columbus." From USA Today: There are properties for all ...

With dry summer heat comes opportunity to do exterior home maintenance.  This month I would suggest that you focus on caulking.Caulk helps to seal out moisture to help prevent deterioration.  I recommend that this month you take a caulking gun along as you check the exterior of your house.An area that often goes uncaulked is the sill ...

The Senate has amended a bill to give homebuyers who were under contract on a home purchase by April 30 an additional three months to close the deal and claim the federal homebuyer tax credit. Lead by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the amendment to HR 4213, the "American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010" would give buyers ...

When buying a home, your offer should always be contingent on the results of a professional inspection of the property. If the inspection turns up something like termite infestation or cracks in the foundation you can back out of the contract, or you can have the seller repair the problem to your satisfaction. A professional home inspection will ...

Trulia.com, smart real estate search to help you make better decisions, recently announced that 20% of current home listings have been reduced in price at least once, compared to 27% in April 2009, representing a 26% decline nationally. Trulia was one of the first companies to issue national price reduction reports and is available to provide ...

The Columbus Board of Realtors reports an email (subject: "Homeowners--Listen Up") is being re-circulated claiming that H.R. 2454: the American Clean Energy & Security Act would require an energy license/retrofits for home sale. The email is NOT accurate. H.R. 2454 remains pending in the Senate. Senators Kerry (D-MA), Graham (R-SC) ...

Certain gypsum board (drywall) products used in walls and ceiling in some homes has been implicated as the source of the outgassing (vapor emission) of chemical compounds that have caused corrosion of building materials and may also contribute to health concerns. The bulk of these problem (tainted) drywall cases have been linked to certain ...

Notice of Funding This message is to notify you that program funding for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program will likely be exhausted by the end of April, 2010. Once funding is exhausted, the Agency will not issue Conditional Commitments “subject to receipt of appropriated funds.”  This is because it is not certain ...

That impressive formation of ice along the roof edge of a house after a snow storm may seem to be a unique form of nature’s artistry; however, most people never stop to think about the causes of ice formations. Nor do most people, except those that regularly experience ice dams, know what damage the ice can cause. Ice dams occur when heat ...