No Kitchen? No mortgage!

In case you've been eyeing that fixer upper that is only half rehabbed and you're considering going in after you buy it and finishing the job, you should know that most lenders will not loan on a house without a kitchen. Even if you're buying it "as is"
The lender will not consider it a true single family residence. A great young couple I had worked with ran into this. The bottom line that the appraiser would consider a kitchen was a working sink, two cabinets and a counter top.
Now you know. It isn't unusual for a home to come without a range or a fridge, but you've gotta have a kitchen sink.

Olde Towne East Tour of Homes

The Olde Towne East tour of homes was this past Sunday. It was a very well organized tour this year with some fantastic homes and a wonderful turnout, despite the sprinkles.
I advertised olde towne east realty.com in the accompanying brochure. Much to my dismay, I wasn't able to have the site up and running by tour day and now have some egg on my face. Because I live in Olde Towne and do a good bit of work there, it was a logical place to start my suite of satellite sites aimed at specific neighborhoods.
Unfortunately, my computer guys and I couldn't get it together in time for the tour. Soon enough though, this and other sites will be up and running and I'm really looking forward to advertising them all across greater Columbus.
After my re-launching of CentralOhioRealty.com I would love to hear any feedback from anyone out there in regard the usability, likes or dislikes of the site.
I know it has taken me much longer than anticipated to get it out there but I think it will look and feel like a great real estate sight.

It's a boy

In case you were wondering, It's a boy. Leo Francisco Peffer entered May 23 at about 10 PM with a full head of hair, good lungs and a whole lot of cute.

Every Person's Realtor

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but I really LOVE what I do for a living. I really enjoy working for myself, having a great company's smorgasboard of business tools at my disposal, and running the show, calling the shots and helping people buy and sell homes.


I think the job is harder than most people think. It requires an immense amount of time and savvy to be good. It's not a job someone can do part time and do well. I enjoy helping the first time home buyer find the perfect fixer upper for well under $100,000 one day and finding the perfect down-sizing option in the $400-500K range the next day, sometimes both in the same day. When you learn the market, you own it.


From A to Z, if you're Realtor knows and understand the market than you're in luck. I received a surprised reaction the other day from an acquaintance who had a cousin looking in the $150,000 range in Clintonville but thought that maybe I wouldn't be working in that price range. Heck yes I will. I want your business, I don't care who you are. It's essentially the same amount of work for me no matter the price range. My job is to understand the nuances of each market and bring to the table my knowledge about the home buying and home selling processes.

I don't work too much in Westerville or Dublin but I can take the time to look at, study, and gauge the market in those areas while understanding the places where value lies, what's overpriced and what upcoming road widening projects will effect which homes.


So many Realtors do such a half-ass job, only skimming the surface of what they could do for their clients. I'm a full time, full service Realtor and I take my job seriously. I've seen million dollar homes listed by a Realtor who didn't even bother to go take a picture, they just let the Columbus Board of Realtors take a shot from the street. Maybe they don't even own a digital camera, maybe they just want to put the listing in the Columbus MLS and let somebody else sell the house.

Don't give your business to those agents. Give it to me!

Random Thoughts

I have been busy with buyers lately, looking all over, first time home owners and investors and those looking to downsize now that the kids have flown the coop.
I also have a lot of things on the shelf, people just not quite ready to make the jump, sell their home, buy a home, but always wanting to know what is out there. I don't mind as long as they come to me when the time is right. I enjoy working with people with whom I have an established relationship.
This year there have been three properties on my block with for sale signs that were not mine. I think most realtors would agree that there isn't much worse than your neighbors listing with other Realtors, no matter what the exigent circumstances may be. Another neighbor listed his investment property with another Realtor.
Looking to buy a home in Columbus and surrounding communities but your afraid the furnace might go before next winter really sets in? Make sure you get a gas line warranty and Home Warranty, it could make all the difference and save you lots and lots of money down the line. It'll only be good for one year but it is renewable, typically for $300 or so and that's cheaper than a new furnace. Yes, there is a considerable amount of fine print and it won't cover pre-existing conditions but it could make the difference in your home choice.