As a Cincinnati real estate agent, one of the most common questions I get is “There’s this foreclosure in my neighborhood and no one has touched it for months. How can I contact the bank to buy it?”

Well in order to really accept the answer of this question you have to first dismiss the belief that the large banks are acting in a responsible manner. Here’s as short of an explanation I can provide of the mortgage mess…

“Here is a great article on ways to save money on updates that may not add value to your home. As always, update your home to your preferences, but keep these things in mind if you are trying to add value.” – Brett Keppler, Treo Realtors

Every homeowner must pay for routine home maintenance, such as replacing worn-out plumbing components or staining the deck, but some choose to make improvements with the intention of increasing the home’s value. Certain…

You may have heard that rental properties in Cincinnati can be a great way to generate passive income. Rental properties can provide monthly cash flow, protect against inflation, and usually appreciate over the long term. Some retirees swear by rental properties instead of the usual stock and bond portfolio because they don’t have to stomach the volatile stock market swings. Owning rental properties can help fund your retirement, but being a landlord isn’t for everyone. Here’s how to tell if…

TREO Realtors, based in Cincinnati Ohio, is the first brokerage to offer interactive floorplans as another one of it’s savvy marketing tools to help sellers market their homes to potential buyers. Check out a quick demo by Brett Keppler, Cincinnati Real Estate Agent, as he provides an overview of this amazing new service.

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LendingTree recently conducted a study to determine which state was the most affordable in terms of average monthly mortgage payment as well as investigating what percentage of monthly income goes towards that payment.

Washington DC and Hawaii were the most expensive states with average payments of $1641 and $1536. DC homeowners put 31% of their income towards those payments while Hawaii paid 30% of their income to live on the beautiful island (which I completely understand).

Ohio was the 10th…

The secret information traditionally only found in the Multiple Listing Service about properties is slowing leaking its way out into the public through an assortment of different websites. As technology evolves, so has transparency and MLSs all across the country are battling to keep this information private.

As a buyer in Cincinnati, the moment a property of interest hits the market, you want to know as much about it as possible. Rather than wait on your agent to…

Is it better to buy a home or rent? An analysis released today by real estate information provider Zillow.com finds that in most of the U.S., buying becomes a better deal than renting after only three years of residence.

In many metro areas, the advantage comes much sooner.

In Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa, for example, owning beats renting after 1.6 years, the study finds. Zillow determined the breakeven horizon—the point at which owning becomes more financially advantageous than renting…

November 18, 2010

Article Written/Published by: Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors

Waiting for Bottom

If you’re one of the would-be homebuyers telling your REALTOR® you want to buy…but are waiting for home prices to hit bottom, you might want to rethink your strategy. In theory, it seems like a good idea to “go for the low,” but history has shown it’s next to impossible to do. Even experienced stock market investors have difficulty recognizing when a market has bottomed out.…

Before you decide to move forward with that short sale, here are some key questions to ask the seller or listing agent prior submitting an offer.  33% of all short sales never close so follow these steps to minimize wasting your time on a short sale with limited chance of approval.