CincinnatiInPhotos.com

Congratulations Ms. Johnson

Ms. Johnson is one happy lady today. The weight is off her shoulders.

I met Ms. Johnson in mid July of 2009. She came to me with a problem. This home that had been in her family for over 85 years had just became too much for her to take care of any longer. The box gutters and soffits had serious damage due to wood rot. To the extent that she couldn't live in the home any longer. She had moved out over a year ago but still had the mortgage looming down over her. She hadn't been able to make a payment for almost 24 months and was facing foreclosure.

I was able to step in, list her home considering all the work the home needed priced it at $45,000.00 and sold it within 10 days for full price.

The big mistake I made was to let another agent insist on their buyer using the FHA 203K loan. That is an FHA loan the allows the buyer to purchase a distressed property, borrowing the initial financing for the home and the additional funds for the rehab. The limits on an FHA 203K loan is $30,000 above the cost of the home. The paperwork is intense and the risk is very high do to government rules and regulations and the constant changes in todays unsettled market.

It was quite the venture for Mary Jo, Me and LRA, LLC who does all the negotiations for me with the banks. However we stayed with it holding on to the faith that this was the right thing to do.

Everyone hung in there and finally at 3:00 PM yesterday we were at the closing table and everyone left happy. It took exactly two and a half months to negotiate the short sale with this lender.

Yet another notch in my record for saving someone from the horrors of foreclosure.

God Bless You and pray for all of our troops to come home safe and for our Country leaders to make the right choices to help us get through this turmoil.

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes each week.

No movie and popcorn needed with this listing...

Part of my procedure before listing a home I usually loan the seller a professional video produced by David Knox called "Preparing Your Home To Sell".  Steve and Dora didn't need to watch this video. Their home was already in pristine condition. From the first time I stepped in the front door till the day they closed and moved out this home was always kept clutter free and spotless.

   

They were very concerned about two things, the time it would take and the amount of money they would get in today's market. Being realistic they listened and followed my recommendation on list price and made the home available for potential buyers on the buyers time schedule even at their own inconvenience.

It all paid off. They were very surprised that within two weeks of listing day they received an offer. They didn't need to do much negotiating on price and the cash buyer planned on closing exactly the time Steve and Dora were hoping for.

They took a couple of trips to Nashville and with a very good buyers agent I referred them to they were able to find their brand new home and schedule the closing for the day after closing here in West Chester.

Needless to say, Steve and Dora are happy and left unscathed by today's market.

God Bless You and pray for all of our troops to come home safe and for our Country leaders to make the right choices to help us get through this turmoil.

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes each week.

Congratulations Scott

This was a very interesting sale. Scott was an unusual buyer. He was referred through a friend and came to me thinking he knew everything he needed to know about buying a home. In fact Scott did many things a little backwards. Being a first time buyer he was not very teachable. It becomes a challenge when your buyer goes off on his own to do things his way...right or wrong.

We were able to work through it and this is the home Scott succeeded in buying.

 

I wish him and his mother all the best in their new home in Norwood. He has called me and thanked me for my patient help and that he is very happy with his home.

I had another friend ask me tonight about paying extra on their mortgage. I suggested doing the following whenever paying extra.

You want the extra money to be applied to the principal, not the interest. So write an extra check and memo "For Principal Only" on the check. Send the two checks together and your financial institution will apply the extra to the principal and not the interest.

Doing that...no matter how insignificant will decrease your principal much quicker than if you make your minimum payments each month. If you added an additional payment per year you will shorten the loan time from 30 years to approximately 17 - 18 years and save yourself thousands of dollars of interest.

If you would like more information about paying your mortgage off early feel free to call me anytime Monday - Friday 3:PM till 5:PM. at 777-2402.

God Bless You and pray for all of our troops to come home safe and for our Country leaders to make the right choices to help us get through this turmoil.

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes each week.

We are back home and back to work

Congratulations to Felicia and family. 

Felicia is one of my students that attended my class at UC called "The Guide To Home Buying". She attended one semester last year and called me in June ready to buy a home and was considering several areas of town. We eventually narrowed the playing field to Mason. And that is where we found this jewel.

This home had many positive points and a few negative. However the positive outweighed the negative and we used the downsides to our advantage during negotiations.

The seller had already moved to Florida and the home had sat empty for a couple of weeks. The seller was facing a few months if he didn't play his cards right...that he did and Felicia came out ahead of the game.

The home over appraised by a few thousand dollars, I negotiated many items repaired prior to her moving in, a First American One Year Warranty plus closing cost all paid for by the seller.

This home had a newer kitchen and baths, replacement windows, newer flooring and had been freshly painted in all the rooms.This is an over sized bi-level home and the floor plan was a little unusual but suited Felicia and her family perfectly.

It is such a pleasure to see my students confidently enter the market and walk away pleased with their home and knowing they got a good deal.

A little side note about warranties. You must call the warranty company and not your own contractor when you experience a problem. If you call your own contractor the warranty company will not pay them. The warranty companies have contracts with their own contractors and are committed to only using them.

 

God Bless You and pray for our troops to come home safe and for our Country leaders to make the right choices to help us get through this turmoil.

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes each week.

Congratulations to Crista

Sometimes it takes a little longer to decide exactly where you want to live. That's OK. You need to take your time so you get it right the first time. It's not like buying a pair of florescent light bulb's that which I just did on Wednesday.

Needing to replace our bulbs in the office I stopped at Home Depot and bought 2 pair of Philips Soft White 40 watt 48" florescent bulbs. The package said to provide comfortable, pleasant light for kitchen, bath or any room. Flattering light that shows colors accurately and enhances skin tones and furnishings. Well, as soon as Mary Jo walked in the office she curled her nose up in dislike. She felt uncomfortable because the lights put off a pink cast on everything. They were the furthest thing from soft WHITE. I have to admit, it did feel funny walking into the office with these tinted light bulbs. So I went back and bought Philips Daylight Deluxe. They create a cool, refreshing environment for any room in the home. These Arctic-white light bulbs are much easier on the eyes and make me feel better all over.

Undoubtedly, I will take the first pair back and get my money reimbursed. I kept the original packaging and the receipt. The point to this discussion is you just can't take a home back and get your money back after you buy and move in. So you better be sure when you buy the first time.

Crista was very cautious in choosing the neighborhood and home to live in. Crista met me at the University of Cincinnati home buyers class I teach several times a year. It is entitled "Guide to Home Buying" and it is an in-depth 5 week (Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 9:00) course that covers everything from the thought of buying, why to buy, all the way through the home inspections and closing. It doesn't however help you decide what area of town or neighborhood you should buy in. That is individual taste.

Crista started looking in Madeira. She could afford many homes in this area, she just couldn't get over the lack of updating and small sized rooms. She was also interested in Sharonville condo's. Although she didn't care for the highway noise.

She ended up buying the condo in the photo above. It is in Mason and sits on a golf course. The seller owned it for 5 years but rarely lived there. He traveled most of the time. One of the bathrooms had the shower used 2-3 times in 5 years. The stove was practically new...never used.

Crista really got a great deal with this condo. It is large enough for all of her furniture, quiet being on a golf course and convenient to her work and friends. I often say there is no perfect home but this one really comes close. The inspection revealed nothing needing repair and so she is now happily all moved into her new condo.

Crista and I have been working together off and on for almost 3 years since she took my course. But that is OK...it took that long for her to find exactly what she wanted. REMEMBER, you need to get it right the first time. You just can't return it and get your money back.

Most of my clients don't take that long, but if that is what it takes I will never give up on your project as long as you don't. Thanks for hanging in there Crista. And Congratulations once again.

God Bless You and pray for our troops.    

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Daily Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes daily.

Congratulations Rob & Heather

Rob and Heather just closed on their very first home after just getting married 2 months ago. They are on top of the world right now.

This was a real sweet deal. They bought this home with no money down. They used FHA bond money and had the seller pay closing costs.

We had one little crinckle in the deal after the inspections. The roof was shot...a real crispy critter. We were able to get the seller to have a brand new dimensional shingle roof installed just before closing.

The roofers did an excellent job and everyone is happy as a lark...well, everyone but the seller. He will get over it. He should be glad someone came along and bought his home.

Shhhh! don't tell the seller, but the home appraised for more than Rob and Heather agreed to pay. Now that's a deal and a half. I like when that happens.

God Bless You and pray for our troops.    

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Daily Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes daily.

Congrats to Jeff & Sondra

Congratulations to Jeff and Sondra. They just bought this 3 bedroom brick home in Covedale as their first real try on fixing and flipping (legally) as investor rehabbers.

I have a little knowledge of this home. In fact I helped a young lady purchase this home many years ago. She through the years moved on at some point...I guess I didn't do well in staying in touch. Here it is a few owners later and has been taken back by the bank sitting empty needing some intense cosmetic updates. Mechanically it looks very good.

Jeff and Sondra will paint, carpet and remodel the kitchen and baths. Do a general clean up and put it back on the market for sale in the next couple of months.

Good job Jeff and Sondra.

God Bless You and pray for our troops.    

Did you know I have my license in both states, Ohio & Kentucky?...So Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new home. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrity. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

Also, My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Daily Interest Rates, National Real Estate News, Mortgage Advice, Question & Answers. Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes daily.