Cleveland Real Estate And More

Cleveland Ohio - Fourth Of July Fireworks 2010

Since we are expecting warm weather with clear skies all weekend, this promises to be a spectacular year  to gather with friends and family to watch fireworks.  Here is a list of upcoming fireworks shows in various cities throughout the area, including the East side suburbs of Solon, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights. Please note, due to budget shortages, many communities across the Cleveland area will not be having their traditional fireworks show.   

Friday, July 2nd:

Hudson: Dusk, Barlow Farm Park

Saturday July 3rd:

Bratenahl: Dusk, Bratenahl Village Park

Mayfield Village: Dusk, Wilson Mills and SOM Center Road

Sunday, July 4th:

Aurora: Dusk, Sunny Lake Park. Rain date July 5.

Avon Lake: Dusk, Miller Road Park

Cleveland: 10pm, in The Flats where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie

Lakewood: Dusk, Lakewood Park

Shaker Heights: 8PM , Shaker Middle School, 20600 Shaker Blvd.; at dusk

Solon - Solon Community Park,6679 SOM Center Road dusk

Westlake: Dusk, Clague Park

There will be NO FIREWORKS this year in the following areas:

Chagrin Falls

Cleveland Heights

Pepper Pike

Rocky River

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans are residents of Solon OH and have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland.

If you are looking to buy or sell Cleveland OH real estate, including the surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL CLEVELAND OH AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Cleveland Ohio - Fourth Of July Fireworks 2010 is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©July2010    

 Twinsburg Real Estate - Monthly Market Report May 2010

Here is a list of all homes that sold in Twinsburg during May, 2010.

SUMMARY

The sales of Twinsburg OH real estate are ahead of last years numbers and things should continue to be good through June 30th, the day the home buyer tax credit ends.

Overall, there were 13 homes that sold in Twinsburg last month. Here are how things compared last month to May 2009. We have also included year to date figures.

All Sales           # of homes sold         Ave. Sales Price 

May 2010                 13                        $225,108  

April 2009                 17                        $166,976

Year To Date   # of homes sold         Ave. Sales Price 

 2010                       69                        $196,648  

 2009                       66                        $187,195

Twinsburg real estate greatly benefited from the home buyer tax credit as evidenced by the 41 homes that are currently under contract. We anticipate next months' report, our semi-annual market report, to show in increase in both the number of sales and average sales price in Twinsburg compared to 2009.

The real question is what happens during the second half of 2010? While most experts agree that the tax credit helped fuel sales in many areas of the country, especially those with affordable housing, like Twinsburg, whether the market can sustain the increase demand in housing is debatable.

The summer season, which is typically the busiest season of the year, could help continue the momentum created by the tax credit. In addition, low interest rates and a slowly improving economy are helping people feel more comfortable with the thought of buying or selling a home.

Regardless of what happens over the next few months, a nice home that is competitively priced will stand out from the competition and be viewed as more attractive to buyers. Outdated homes that are overpriced will continue to sit and be passed by.  

Below are other articles of interest pertaining to Twinsburg Real Estate:

Twinsburg Real Estate - Monthly Market Report April 2010 

Twinsburg Real Estate - Year End Marketing Report 2009

Twinsburg Real Estate - Market Report February 2010 

Twinsburg Real Estate - First Quarter Home Statistics 2010

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About The Authors:

This Twinsburg Ohio Real Estate Market Report is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty.

The Schumans service the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland and have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland. They specialize in the Cleveland Ohio luxury home market and also enjoy working with first-time buyers as well.

For Ohio and Twinsburg OH real estate and homes see Twinsburg real estate

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Twinsburg or surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL TWINSBURG HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Twinsburg Real Estate - Monthly Market Report May 2010 is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©June2010

Twinsburg Real Estate - Monthly Home Statistics February 2010

Here is a list of all homes that sold in Twinsburg last month, with commentary to follow:

SUMMARY

While there were only 8 sales last month, the market is definitely picking up. January and February sales are an indication of market activity for November and December, which is typically the slowest time of the year. Current activity is best reflected by the number of homes currently under contract, which is 27. Furthermore, of these homes, 6 are priced over $200,000 and 4 over $300,000, so all price points are seeing activity at this point.

Moving forward, the home buyer tax credit ends on April 30th, and with the weather getting warmer, buyers will be out in droves over the next 6 weeks. We personally are working with many people looking to buy a home in Twinsburg and have noticed a surge in activity over the last several weeks.

Below are other articles of interest pertaining to Twinsburg Real Estate:

Twinsburg Real Estate - Year End Marketing Report 2009

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About The Authors:

This Twinsburg Ohio Real Estate Market Report is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty.

The Schumans service the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland and have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland. They specialize in the Cleveland Ohio luxury home market and also enjoy working with first-time buyers as well.

For Ohio and Twinsburg OH real estate and homes see Twinsburg real estate

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Twinsburg or surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL TWINSBURG HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Twinsburg Real Estate - Monthly Home Statistics February 2010 is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©March2010

Child Obesity, What Can We Do?

Keeping in mind the name of our blog is "Cleveland Real Estate and More", today's post has nothing to do with real estate and to me, is "more" important.

It amazes me that the rate of childhood obesity continues to increase. I have seen staggering figures that upwards of 35% of children in America are obese, and it makes me sad.

One of my serious passions in life is health and fitness.  I work out 1-2 hours a day doing weights, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai and anything else I can, just to push myself. I realize that many adults don't like to exercise or eat healthy, and that's certainly their choice. However, when it comes to children, kids only know what they are taught.  Therefore, we must do a better job when it comes to teaching them healthy habits, and leading by example.  Here is one simple thing we have done that has been successful.

Basically, we require our kids to exercise at least 20 minutes plus eat a certain amount of fruits and vegetables every day in order to earn dessert, no exceptions.  I call it a reward for positive behavior rather than taking something away for bad behavior. In my mind, it is pretty minimal, but a good foundation on which to build. This is purely my rule because Amy has a hard time with discipline. The kids think I am mean but I would rather be viewed as a mean parent with healthy kids than a well liked parent with unhealthy children.

While we certainly don't claim to know everything about parenting, we have shared this with some of our friends and they seem to love the idea. The most important thing is to teach kids the concept of moderation, so they can form good habits now and grow up to be healthy productive adults.

We actually go so far as to follow this model ourselves as parents, so we can lead by example. Personally, I have no problem with this as I rarely eat dessert, but I have to watch Amy like a hawk as she has a tendency to want to cheat after putting the kids to bed.

I suppose that we can discuss putting a tax on soft drinks, limit how much TV our kids watch, or attempt to get schools to have gym more than once a week. But in the end, as parents, it is our job to teach our kids how to live a healthy lifestyle and if we don't, they may grow up with health problems that could have been prevented with just a little bit of education and some tough love. 

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About The Authors

This information is provided compliments of Dan and Amy Schuman of The Schuman Team, Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Cleveland, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235.

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Child Obesity, What Can We Do?  is the property of The Schuman Team and may be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©March,2010

We Just Lost A Buyer, But Received Something Unusual In Return

Anyone who has ever been in sales understands the feeling of losing out on prospective business.  It happens to the best of us and never feels good. However, something unique happened to us recently that was quite refreshing:  we were treated with some actual common courtesy, a lost art among many consumers.

It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some people can treat those of us in sales, a field of which I've been part of for almost 20 years.  We certainly understand that being in a service business requires thick skin. Consumers care only about their needs and do what they feel is necessary to get what they want. It's only business, nothing personal, we get it.  Our reaction has always been to be gracious in defeat, smile and move on, although I'll admit, it does get old after a while.

However, yesterday, something unusual happened. 

A few month ago, we sat down with a young couple, first time buyers. We gave them our first time buyer handbook and spent some considerable time educating them on the home buying process. We communicated frequently about homes that came on the market, but nothing caught their eye. After a while, they became unresponsive to us and I was curious as to why. I was hoping that at least they would email to let us know their thoughts.  Sure enough, I got an email from them, one that sales people typically don't like receiving.

But this one was different. These young buyers took the time to construct a very flattering and well-written email.  They expressed their appreciation of our time and efforts, and explained in detail how good they felt about us as real estate professionals.  However, they ended up buying a home that they saw before they ever met us. There were no agents involved, so they weren't trying to circumvent us, and everything they said seemed genuine and above board. We wish them well.

Common courtesy happens so infrequently in our business, that when it does occur, it takes you by surprise.  Even though rejection is part of life as an agent, it sure is nice to be turned down with some class every once in a while. 

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans service primarily the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland. They specialize in the Cleveland Ohio luxury home market and also enjoy working with first-time buyers as well.

If you are looking to buy or sell Cleveland real estate, including the surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL CLEVELAND AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

We Just Lost A Buyer, But Received Something Unusual In Return is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Feb2010   

 Solon Real Estate - Monthly Home Statistics January 2010

As most people know, January is typically a slow month in real estate in terms of sales. However, we did see the same number of transfers last month as we did in January 2009.

Here is an unofficial list of homes that sold in Solon last month:

Summary:

While the winter months traditionally bring out the bargain hunters looking for distressed properties, only one of these homes would be considered in that category as it was a short sale. Otherwise, all the homes that sold last month were normal transactions, a possible good sign that the huge run of Solon bank owned homes is over.

The good news is that there are 31 homes currently under contract, most likely to transfer over the next 60 days. Even better news is that 4 of them are luxury homes, those priced over $500,000. Last year the Solon luxury home market was unusually slow, so perhaps this is in indication of a turnaround.

Moving forward, the home buyer tax credit will be expiring on April 30th. This should mean an increase in activity over the next 90 days. There are a lot of buyers out there sitting and waiting for the perfect house, and still a relatively small inventory of available homes, as is typical this time of the year.

Any Solon home owner considering selling their home should do so now, provided they have a very nice home and price it competitively. This spring will bring a flood of buyers to the market, with unusual demand created by the home buyer tax credit. While there has never been a better time to buy, now is also a great time to sell.

Below Are Other Articles Of Interest Relating To the Solon real estate:

Solon Luxury Homes - Year In Review 2009

Solon real estate - year in review 2009

Is the tax credit deadline really April 30th?

Tips when selling your home in the winter 

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman are Solon residents. They specialize in Solon luxury homes, working with buyers relocating to Solon, and first-time buyers.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Solon or the surrounding Eastern suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team.

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL SOLON HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Solon Real Estate - Monthly Home Statistics January 2010 is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Feb,2010

Most people are aware of the $8000 home buyer tax credit and the official April 30th deadline to be eligible. If you are unaware or want more detailed information, here is a list of questions and answers regarding the tax credit that may be helpful.  

However, while many think they have plenty of time to act, based on how a real estate transaction works, and the many obstacles that can sometimes get in the way, buyers should be warned that time is running out and waiting until the end of April to find a home could be a bad move, and here's why:

1.     Loss of leverage. If you wait until the last minute, the sellers will realize that you stand to lose $8000 if you don't get under contract by the deadline, and may play hardball during negotiations.

2.    Loss of money  - Let's say you do get under contact by April 30^th and inspection issues then arise. Negotiating repairs or a reduction in purchase price during the month of May, AFTER the deadline has already passed could be difficult. Will you be willing to walk away from a home because of $3000 worth of repairs and risk losing the $8000 credit? Probably not, and the sellers know this as well.

3.    Loss of the entire $8000 credit - Once again, even if you do get under contract by the official deadline, what happens if something comes up during the inspection or financing process that kills your deal. If you have passed the official deadline or don't have enough time to find another home, no credit for you!

4.    Increased competition toward the end of April - An increased demand for homes in April due to the credit could create a temporary sellers market, driving up prices and creating bidding wars. Good news for sellers, bad news for buyers.

5.    Rates may increase over the next 90 days - Interest rates are at historic lows. However, many experts believe they will start to creep up after the end of the first quarter ( March 31st ), meaning increased monthly payments to home buyers who wait.

In light of this information,  we have a simple tip for buyers:

Make April 1^st your unofficial deadline to get under contract. This way, if for some reason inspection issues come up or something keeps your transaction from moving forward, you will still have time to move on to option 2 ( hopefully you have one ) and take advantage of the tax credit. 

Oh, and, for buyers who don't act because they think the tax credit will be extended again, don't count on it. With midterm elections coming up, and the American public in an uproar over spending on Capitol Hill, a costly extension will not happen.

So what are you waiting for? Go pick out a great home and get paid $8000 by the government, and whatever you do, don't wait until the last minute or you'll have no one to blame but yourself if things don't work out. 

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans service both the East and West sides of Cleveland and specialize in assisting first time buyers, luxury home buyers, and those who are relocating to Cleveland.

If you are looking to buy or sell Cleveland real estate, including the surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL CLEVELAND AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Home Buyer Tax Credit - Is The Deadline Really April 30th? is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Feb,2010

A "Secret" List Of Bank Owned Homes - The Truth Revealed

We have had a lot of buyers tell us they want to buy a bank owned home. So, we create a personal home search for them where a list of homes that fits their parameters is sent to their email directly from our MLS ( Multiple Listing Service ). This is the most up to date database of homes available. We then explain how new homes will be emailed to them as they come on the market.

However, over the course of time, many buyers, curious to see if there is anything else out there, will come across sites that advertise "a Secret list of bank owned homes", and want to know why these "great" homes didn't show up on the search they receive from us. 

The answer is simple: these homes don't exist.

There is no secret database of foreclosed homes at deep discount prices. Quite simply, all bank owned homes are listed with real estate agents, appear in the MLS, and are available to be shown by any agent.

What you will find on line, however, is companies advertising a list of bank owned homes, perhaps with limited information on the home, and then require you to sign up and pay a monthly fee to get a list of homes sent to you. I am certainly not being negative about these companies.  I am merely stating that all they are doing is reselling information that any good agent can get you for FREE.

I personally saw one of these popular websites indicate there were over 100 foreclosed homes in my personal community of Solon, Ohio. The reality is that there are actually only 4 bank owned homes currently on the market here. Are these companies engaging in questionable and deceptive business practices, I'll let the consumers be the judge. However, I will caution home buyers from accepting everything they see on line as being accurate.

So, there are two things to be learned here:

1. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  And,

2. Why pay for something that you can get for free. 

Don't be fooled by information you see on line. A good real estate agent will be able to bring all homes for sale to your attention, including ones that are bank owned.

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans service both the East and West sides of Cleveland and specialize in assisting those who are buying bank owned homes within the luxury home marketplace, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland.

If you are looking to buy or sell Cleveland real estate, including the surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL CLEVELAND AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

 A "Secret" List Of Bank Owned Home - The Truth Revealed is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Jan,2010

SOLON BANK OWNED HOMES

While many companies sell consumers lists of bank owned homes, the lists being offered are rarely accurate. So, save your money, don't pay for a list and get the information on Solon bank owned homes right here, compliments of The Schuman Team.

Right now, despite what some reports may indicate, the inventory of Solon bank owned homes is small. There are an additional 19 homes listed as short sales, however. Here is an up to date list, as of January 24, 2010, of streets in Solon where there are currently bank owned homes.

While many bank owned homes in Solon have sold over the last several years, banks are becoming more willing to negotiate up front so they can avoid the foreclosure process. Therefore, the number of Solon short sales is on the rise, and could be a more viable option for those buyers looking at Solon bank owned homes.

In fact, short sales may end up being even better than bank owned homes as they have not been sitting vacant for 1-2 years and the pricing can be just as good.

For a complete list of Solon bank owned homes and short sales, including full addresses and photos, if available, please contact us and we will be happy to email them to you. 

Click below to find other articles of interest pertaining to Solon:

Bank Owned Homes In Thornbury of Solon

Buying A Bank Owned Home in Solon, The Good, Bad, and Reality

Shopping in Solon

Solon Short Sales

Solon- A Great Community

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman are Solon residents. They specialize in luxury homes, working with buyers relocating to Solon, and buyers looking to buy distressed properties in Solon.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Solon or the surrounding Eastern suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team.

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL SOLON HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

 *Please note that the Schuman Team, Amy and Dan Schuman, are licensed real estate agents in the State of Ohio but are NOT licensed to practice law. We want to be clear that while a real estate agent can assist with a buyer and seller during the real estate transaction, the process, especially buying a short sale or bank owned home can be more complicated than a traditional transaction. Therefore, we welcome consumers to seek the advice of a qualified real estate attorney prior to signing any legal documents.

Solon Bank Owned Homes is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Jan, 2010

How To Get A Great Deal When Buying A Home

Let's face it, everyone wants a deal when buying something, especially when it comes to a big ticket item like a home.  This post is for all the buyers out there that have been waiting for the right "deal" to come along, yet haven't been able to make a final buying decision. 

We must warn you though that we're not going to describe some crazy revolutionary 3 step program on how to buy a home on the cheap, like you may see some supposed "guru" do on late night tv.  However, we will give you some cold hard facts about the current market and a simple yet startling answer to this question at the end of this post ( yes, you must read this to get our answer ). 

To start, here are some things we know about the current real estate market:

1.     The entire real estate market is on sale right now. Based on reports from all the leading economists, the consensus is that the market has been depreciating and that many communities have seen home values go down to levels not seen in 5-10 years.  While we won't know until after the fact when the real estate bottom occurs, most markets are at or near the bottom, with some actually on the rise.

2. Mortgage rates are still at historic lows. With interest rates hovering at around 5%, money is cheap and buying a home has never been more in a buyer's favor.

3.     The Federal Tax Credit is in effect and will expire on June 30th. First-time buyers are eligible for up to $8000 and move up buyers can receive $6500 as well. In an unprecedented move,  the Federal government is actually paying people to buy homes, but you must be under contract by April 30th 2010 to qualify.

4.     Other items related to home buying are also being heavily discounted. When someone buys a home, a new car, furniture, electronics, and home improvements usually follow. As good fortune would have it, all of these things are "on sale" as well.

5.    The winter months bring great buying opportunities. Many homes currently listed have been on the market for a long time and sellers are anxious to sell soon before the spring, when the market will become flooded with new inventory, thus new competition.

So, with low home prices, low rates, motivated sellers, AND a large check from the government waiting for you, the answer to the question " How To Get A Great Deal When Buying A Home" is this:

BUY NOW!!!!!

Simple, understated, yet obvious. There has never been a better time to buy a home. So what are you waiting for? Don't let the best buying opportunity in generations pass you by.

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans service both the East and West sides of Cleveland and have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and executives who are relocating to Cleveland. They specialize in the Cleveland Ohio luxury home market and also enjoy working with first-time buyers as well.

If you are looking to buy or sell Cleveland real estate, including the surrounding suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235. 

SEE ALL CLEVELAND AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW:

 CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

How To Get A Great Deal When Buying A Home is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Jan 2010