For crying out loud, if the buyer is interested in my home and they don't like: _______________________________________________________________________ then I'll just offer them a credit at closing so they can put it in and pick out the color/material they like. Let's think about it: How many times as a listing agent have you heard that? What is your response back to your seller? A listing agent's goal should be to not simply respond with the pros and cons to this question at that point in time.  The mere fact that the question has come up AND, here's the real important part: If this is the first time you are addressing this with your seller, then in my opinion, you have let your seller down as this type of information can almost always be known ahead of time by: Knowing how this busine... 11/15/2009

The IRS has acknowledged that 2008 Amended Tax Returns for the first-time homebuyer tax credit has hit a brick wall in that refunds that were taking 6 weeks to process are now taking up to 20 weeks. Why's that?  Good question. You can probably guess: FRAUD. Yes, you got it.  Some questionable claims were filed by none other than: IRS Employees.  Filers as young as 4  years old were also asking for the refund. These questionable claims are estimated to total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.   Let's think about this for a second.  The IRS has all of our information already on file.  It surely can't be that hard to have an automated system of cross-referencing to prioritize legitimate requests from bogus claims.  In fact, perhaps there needs to be a RETS like transaction standard fo... 11/15/2009

I have been reading various websites which states the House of Representatives voted today 403-12 to expand the federal housing tax credit and it "MAY" be signed by the President this Friday. Here is link one of the many articles on it. I hope some CPAs and Tax Attorneys jump in here in addition to real estate professionals.   11/05/2009

Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland To Open Downtown Office Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland plans to increase their market presence by opening up in downtown Cleveland. Plans call for Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland to open before the end of the year, possibly as early as December 1, 2009. The new office, located in the historic Warehouse District in the Cloak Factory building at 635 W. Lakeside Ave, will open with over $30,000,000 in inventory and 17 agents, many of whom are some of the areas top producers. The office interior will have a look consistent to many historic offices in downtown Cleveland complete with hardwood floors and exposed beams. While most local real estate agents don't service the downtown area, deciding to focus on the surrounding suburbs in... 11/04/2009

Okay...hype was high last year for The Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA Championship.  We won't go into details as any Cleveland Cavaliers basketball fan is painfully aware of how last season ended.  Just one 3-point by Delonte could have tipped the scales to have gotten us to the finals, along with several other unfortunate twists of fate.  I know...I know...shoulda...coulda...woulda.  If we only had: _____________ and we would have won.  Personally, I think we would have been sledgehammered by the LA Lakers, but that is pure speculation and irrelevant.  So...what's a Cav's fan to do?  We could punt and hope Josh Cribbs returns it -- okay, we won't talk about the pitiful Browns this year, but next year's draft is starting to shape up nicely if you know what I mean. Anyway, King James... 10/25/2009

The UrbanOhio.com website has an excellent relocation guide post, appropriately titled: Cleveland Relocation Guide.  While it is primarily more relevant for the city center, it does showcase some other amenities in Greater Cleveland. While there is much more to Greater Cleveland than what is contained in this post, this post does a good job of allowing someone who is thinking of relocating to Cleveland Ohio an opportunity to get a sense or feel for our fine area. Enjoy. If you want to see what luxury living in the City of Cleveland is all about, priced $500,000 and higher, please view the properties currently for sale. 10/25/2009

There are many reasons to move to Cleveland OH. Friendly Clevelanders. We are patriots and fans of our city. Rich culture. Cleveland Orchectra. Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Playhouse. Cleveland libraries and much, much more Multi-cultural Diversity. Cleveland is the city with the rich history of  European immigration. African-American, Asian-American, Middle Eastern, Hispanic communities contribute a lot to the flavor and beauty of the City Cleveland Cavaliers! Affordable and quality Cleveland Real Estate Excellent healthcare system. Cleveland is a home of Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Metro Health Hospitals  Excellent schools and institutes of higher education Excellent place to raise children Cleveland Metroparks Four distinct seasons to enjoy Let me present you few mo... 10/25/2009

Those in Cleveland who have been around for a while and are steeped in local history know of The Creative Studios of Daffy Dan's at 2101 Superior Avenue in Cleveland Ohio 44114. Think 1960s baby but with a modern and edgy twist.  Think free spirit but also talented graphic designers.  Think exceptional customer service minus the love beads from yesteryear. I needed some t-shirts printed for my company logo and they did an amazing job, matching the Pantone colors exactly. Please note: I do NOT, repeat, do NOT receive any kind of compensation or any kind of benefit whatsoever in recommending this fine woodworking shop.  I am NOT a paid endorser, I simply like to recommend quality locally-owned businesses. I think Daffy Dan's is simply the best t-shirt printer in all of Greater Cleveland! 10/18/2009

Cleveland was selected on 9/29/2009 by The Federation of Gay Games to host The 2014 Gay Games. The Cleveland Synergy Foundation was started in large part to organize the bid for the games and was lead by Doug Anderson, Jeff Axberg and Brian Tavolier.  I got to know Doug and Jeff as their buyer's agent when they relocated to Cleveland several years ago and after getting to know them, as well as Brian, I can see how this trio along with immense help from individuals, the City of Cleveland, various economic development partnerships, etc., were successful in their quest.  On Behalf of Greater Clevelanders, my sincere congratulations and appreciation to Doug, Jeff, Brian and everyone involved in this effort.  Cleveland has a wealth of cultural and outdoor venues to showcase and I can't wait ... 10/18/2009

I recently used HotCards.com again for a direct mail print job.  HotCards.com claims they are the lowest full color direct mail printer in the nation.  I will leave that claim to the consumer to compare and contrast. That said, I have done a lot of comparisons of direct mail full-color printers over the years and I have found this company so far to be the best in terms of price and turnaround.  They turn a job around generally in two days.  While this company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio where I live, I can easily pickup my order at their facilities directly, they do have eleven other locations mostly in the midwest, but also some out west as well.  Since they mail, it doesn't matter where they are located. I learned about HotCards.com from a friend and former real estate client ... 10/18/2009

I am continually amazed at the amount of "shuffling" of listing real estate agents that can occur for a given property.  Let's see...the property goes on the market and the listing agreement period expires and the home goes off the market unsold.  The seller is unhappy.  The seller wants to sell their home and most likely, they have their sights set on their listing agent as to why it didn't sell. So...what does a seller oftentimes do?  They fire their listing agent.  Your're outta there!  Actually, they really didn't fire this listing agent, the listing period expired, the home didn't sell, and the seller gives the listing to another agent, perhaps in the same real estate brokerage or oftentimes, a different brokerage. Contractually speaking: The listing agreement is with the real esta... 10/04/2009

Pro-Clean Carpet Service serves the Greater Cleveland Ohio area. (216) 524-4059. They provide: Carpet Cleaning Upholstery Cleaning Carpet Repairs Carpet Restretches Both Commercial and Residential Ron Germana owns Pro-Clean Carpet Service and I have spoken with Ron on several occasions.  Ron is always prompt, cheerful and very ethical.  His crews have worked for both real estate clients of mine as well as in my own home. Ron has four crews and can provide very timely service. 09/27/2009

Bill Jarus owns Jarus Electric.  Bill's focus is for major work, both residential and commercial.  Sometimes, one needs a heavy-hitter electrician for MAJOR work, such as replacing an outside meter that connects with the local electric company's incoming lines. Or one needs to run underground wires that may tap into the local utility company's box. Bill Jarus has been around a long time and has a solid reputation serving both commercial, homeowner association as well as residential customers. Jarus Electric Bill Jarus 2733 Wagar Road Rocky River, OH 44116 440.331.6666 ps. Bill replaced my own outside meter that was a safety hazard in the past. 09/27/2009

Daugherty Construction at 22460 Lakeland Blvd., in Euclid Ohio (216) 731-9444 has been serving Northeast Ohio since 1978.  I have met the owner, various crew members at different job sites.  They also did a complete roof tear-off of my previous Heights home.  They have done work for many real estate clients of mine and they have an excellent reputation.  Moreover, they can perform "roof certifications", which is invaluable during a real estate transaction if roof issues arise. Their main focus is roofs, siding and windows. 09/27/2009

Question:  Who do you think actually sells a home?  Possible Answers: The listing agent or The listing real estate brokerage? I am purposely ignoring the seller, buyer broker, buyer agent and the buyer in this home, as that is a topic for another post.  These entities/folks are quite relevant, but it's not the question under consideration.  So lets just focus on the listing side for the purpose of this post. Let's take a look at the main reasons a home sells or doesn't sell: 1.    Demand.  If demand exists, great.  If demand isn't there, there isn't much one can do.  If most folks don't want the home that backs to a major interstate, this home will be much harder to sell.  If most folks don't want to live directly behind a major electrical substation due to health and safety concerns, t... 09/27/2009

A listing agent with a robotic phone # voice mail message. I called a listing agent the other day to setup an appointment to show her listing.  The response I got on her cell phone was the automated robot message:  The # you are trying to reach 123-456-7890 is unavailable... So...I am left to ponder:   Is this the agent's actual cell phone #? Perhaps I mis-dialed so I checked the # I dialed and compared it against the MLS showing instructions. If I leave a voice message on this #, who will pick it up as I have no certainty whose # this is? If I don't leave a message on this # as I am not 100% certain whose # it is, I will then have to keep calling. Did the listing agent (or office admin staff) type in the wrong # in the showing instructions for the listing? In order to eliminate the pre... 09/20/2009

I received a phone call recently from a prospective Greater Cleveland Ohio home seller.  This seller had his 200K home on the market for six months, twenty showings, only one feedback from the twenty showings and no offers.  The home expired off the market unsold. This seller's main focus with me was to get me to reduce my commission by 1K.  Mind you, since it is my company and I post our company's commission on our company website, along with a commission calculator, we believe we have the most innovative service offering coupled with a low listing commission for a full service brokerage in the entire Cleveland Ohio real estate marketplace. Instead of focusing on why this seller's home hadn't sold, the state of the market, what is selling, what is not, and wanting to investigate reason... 09/20/2009

How exactly does a prospective home buyer in the Greater Cleveland Ohio area go about finding a good buyer's agent? Call me and your search has ended ... But seriously, how exactly does one evaluate a buyer's agent?  Does a colleague, friend or family member mention someone?  Do you call the person who advertises their services in the local magazine who claims to be #1 of everything?  Do you Google: Cleveland Best Realtor and review various agent websites? 09/13/2009