Lake Tahoe in the Fall! Karen and I spent a week vacationing in Lake Tahoe during mid-October.
Karen and I flew into Reno, rented an SUV and headed for the Sierra Nevada Mountains!
Lake Tahoe is located on the California/Nevada line at approximately 6200 ft. elevation surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Average depth of the lake is 100 feet of the purest water on planet Earth! The lake is 12 miles wide and 22 miles long. Waterfront real estate is owned by prominent business people and movie stars and can be purchased in the 7-8 digit range. We stayed in the Mariott at South Shore across from Tahoe Tom's Gas Station where Tom Cruise made a movie. Outstanding dining with spectacular views of the lake made for enjoyable evenings. The Edgewood and The Chart House were our favorites!
We visited Virginia City where we walked the streets of the old desert western town. Karen and I took a train ride through the countryside and toured the largest silver mine ever discovered in Nevada, the Comstock Load.
We visited Yosemite Valley and National Forest for two days. Karen took 8 rolls of pictures of trees and rocks! The Sequoia trees were amazing! The Tioga Highway winding through the 750,000 acres was breathtaking! Glacier Point is a must see! El Capitan and Half-Dome were my favorite rocks. The waterfalls were incredible!
A visit to the Apple Hill area allowed us to enjoy the Fall Harvest Festival. Apple cider, apple fritters, apple pies, apple wine....everything apples!
The most memorable event of the trip......being stuck on a gondola for 35 minutes! No cell phone service, no communication with anyone.....I decided to take a nap!
We highly recommend this amazing trip to anyone with an adventurous spirit!
Tags: Vacation, Lake Tahoe, Trip, Adventure
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Home Inspections Increase Confidence in Your Purchase
You’ve found the perfect home. You’re excited and ready to make a written offer, but how can you be sure there are no hidden defects or unseen items requiring repair or replacement?
The answer is – have the home professionally inspected. In your purchase contract, include a clause or contingency that calls for inspection of the home within a stated time period by a certified home inspector. In our area, there are several reputable whole house inspection companies. Call our office and we would be happy to provide names and numbers.
I’ve been selling real estate in Highland County for 16 years and I personally would not buy a house without having a whole house inspection performed.
Most inspections include structural components, such as roof and floor systems, and foundations. Plumbing, electrical, heating/air conditioning, and appliances are also carefully checked. Upon completion of the inspection, the inspector will provide a written report about 14 pages long listing all defects found in the home. I insist the buyer be present for the inspection so that the buyer has a first-hand understanding of the inspector’s findings.
A home inspection allows the buyer to sit down at the closing and sign those loan papers with confidence knowing exactly what they are getting for their money.
Tags: Home Inspections, Purchasing a Home, Buyers
The answer is – have the home professionally inspected. In your purchase contract, include a clause or contingency that calls for inspection of the home within a stated time period by a certified home inspector. In our area, there are several reputable whole house inspection companies. Call our office and we would be happy to provide names and numbers.
I’ve been selling real estate in Highland County for 16 years and I personally would not buy a house without having a whole house inspection performed.
Most inspections include structural components, such as roof and floor systems, and foundations. Plumbing, electrical, heating/air conditioning, and appliances are also carefully checked. Upon completion of the inspection, the inspector will provide a written report about 14 pages long listing all defects found in the home. I insist the buyer be present for the inspection so that the buyer has a first-hand understanding of the inspector’s findings.
A home inspection allows the buyer to sit down at the closing and sign those loan papers with confidence knowing exactly what they are getting for their money.
Tags: Home Inspections, Purchasing a Home, Buyers
Saturday, October 07, 2006
New Team Member
The Dickey Group would like to welcome a new team member - Joy Current!
Joy has been a licensed real estate agent since 1983 and a broker since 1988. Joy has a background in finance and management and has the distinguished honor of being a top ten producer in Greene County, Ohio. Twenty plus years in real estate and still going strong! With a GRI designation and a recipient of the Million Dollar Club award, we are excited to have her call The Dickey Group, Inc., home!
Please call 1-937-393-7222 or email Joy today!
Tags: Team
Joy has been a licensed real estate agent since 1983 and a broker since 1988. Joy has a background in finance and management and has the distinguished honor of being a top ten producer in Greene County, Ohio. Twenty plus years in real estate and still going strong! With a GRI designation and a recipient of the Million Dollar Club award, we are excited to have her call The Dickey Group, Inc., home!
Please call 1-937-393-7222 or email Joy today!
Tags: Team
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Updates from The Ohio Department of Health
New Sewage Treatment System Rules will be effective January 1,2007. Prior to final adoption, the pending amended STS rules (and the new rules previously adopted in May 2006) can be found through the ODH web link to Pending Rules posted on the register of Ohio. Look for the new and amended rules for chapter 3701-29 at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/pending.aspx
The final STS rules should be available on the ODH web site soon after the October 12th Public Health Council meeting. Look under Final Rules for Chapter 3701-29 at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/final/f3701-29.aspx
Click here for more information! If you have questions regarding the new STS rules, contact Tom Grigsby or Jean Caudill at 614-466-1390.
Tags: Sewage Treatment Rules, Ohio Department of Health
The final STS rules should be available on the ODH web site soon after the October 12th Public Health Council meeting. Look under Final Rules for Chapter 3701-29 at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/final/f3701-29.aspx
Click here for more information! If you have questions regarding the new STS rules, contact Tom Grigsby or Jean Caudill at 614-466-1390.
Tags: Sewage Treatment Rules, Ohio Department of Health
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
OAR
Jeff and Karen recently attended the Ohio Association of Realtors Annual Conference. The Convention Center located in Cleveland played host to this annual conference, held in mid-September. The continuing education classes were great! Jeff's favorite classes were led by Terry Watson and Dave Beson. Information regarding advanced techniques of marketing homes, websites, the latest technology available to Realtors was presented. A stay at the Marriott across from the convention center provided excellent accommodations!
Tags: Ohio Association of Realtors, OAR, Annual Conference, Cleveland, Terry Watson, Dave Beson, Realtor
Tags: Ohio Association of Realtors, OAR, Annual Conference, Cleveland, Terry Watson, Dave Beson, Realtor
Highland County Fair
The first full week of September found hundreds of people - including us! - gathered at the fairgrounds for the Highland County Fair! Our office participated fully in the fair experience, especially showing our support for the youth of our area. We encouraged the efforts of the young fair-goers by helping purchase the Reserve Grand Champion Feeder Calf, Grand Champion Meat Goat, Grand Champion Dairy Goat, Reserve Grand Champion Meat Poultry Pen and Ethan Dickey's Market Goat. We supported the Butter Sales and the Lisa Kisling Scholarship Fund. Every project was outstanding! Our future community leaders are built through the positive youth activities of today! It is our pleasure to encourage the development of skills that are a part of 4-H and FFA projects.
Our team members enjoyed visiting with the community at our booth in the Wharton Building! On Labor Day, which the fair board hosts as Senior Citizens Day, 1000 ice cream cups sweetened the day! Five hundred Dickey Group t-shirts were scattered over the fair grounds throughout the week! Our daily giveaways and door prizes made the fair a fun event!
The entire Dickey Group wishes to thank everyone who puts in the extra effort year after year to make The Highland County Fair a truly wonderful community enriching experience!
Tags: Highland County Fair, Community, Dickey Group,
Community, Senior Citizens, Youth
Our team members enjoyed visiting with the community at our booth in the Wharton Building! On Labor Day, which the fair board hosts as Senior Citizens Day, 1000 ice cream cups sweetened the day! Five hundred Dickey Group t-shirts were scattered over the fair grounds throughout the week! Our daily giveaways and door prizes made the fair a fun event!
The entire Dickey Group wishes to thank everyone who puts in the extra effort year after year to make The Highland County Fair a truly wonderful community enriching experience!
Tags: Highland County Fair, Community, Dickey Group,
Community, Senior Citizens, Youth
Saturday, September 16, 2006
All Realtors are the Same
The greatest misunderstanding I see taking place in the market today is the idea that all Realtors are the same… and nothing could be farther from the truth. That’s like saying all doctors are the same, all teachers are the same, all attorneys are the same… ask OJ about that one, all mechanics are the same. Simply not true!
Realtors are as different as the East is to West! In my mind, about the only thing Realtors have in common is a Real Estate license. From there, you the buyers and sellers need to compare when choosing representation.
Experience, number of years in the business, full time vs. part time, education, number of yearly transactions, and satisfied past clients should be taken into consideration when choosing a Realtor. Let’s say you are faced with major heart surgery. Would you choose a doctor who says this is his second surgery and the first patient died! I don’t think so. You would choose the surgeon who has performed hundreds of successful surgeries with no losses. Just like the importance of heart surgery, for most families, their real estate transaction represents the largest financial event usually in their lifetime.
Let’s look at education. Those letters you see after a Realtors name are very important. They represent professional designations that the Realtor has obtained. Many of those designations have taken months, with travel, covering a multitude of real estate related subjects, and thousands of dollars to obtain so that you can be represented in your real estate transaction by the best. Trained to negotiate. Trained to get you the most money, in the shortest period of time, with the fewest hassles. Defenders of your equity! You’ve worked hard for your money… don’t give it away!
Marketing. No two real estate companies market the same. You, the buyer or seller owe it to yourself to discover the differences. After all, you are paying for these services! Meet with your Realtor and discuss a proactive marketing plan for your property, what methods of marketing will be used, and obtain a satisfaction guarantee. Interview three Realtors and compare marketing, then choose the best one for you. I know you’ll be surprised!
"I’m going to list with the Realtor who offers the lowest commission." I like this one! Let me start by saying, Are real estate commissions negotiable? Absolutely! The old saying, “you get exactly what you pay for” pretty well applies to just about everything in life… including real estate! There are many limited services brokerages to choose from. When a Realtor says they will do it for less, your antennas need to go up immediately! You need to begin to look very closely at what services you may or may not be about to receive. The best is never cheap.
Shop for a Realtor the same way you would any other service! Compare and then decide. You’ll be glad you did! Visit our website to see The Dickey Group difference!
Tags: Realtor, Real Estate, Marketing
Realtors are as different as the East is to West! In my mind, about the only thing Realtors have in common is a Real Estate license. From there, you the buyers and sellers need to compare when choosing representation.
Experience, number of years in the business, full time vs. part time, education, number of yearly transactions, and satisfied past clients should be taken into consideration when choosing a Realtor. Let’s say you are faced with major heart surgery. Would you choose a doctor who says this is his second surgery and the first patient died! I don’t think so. You would choose the surgeon who has performed hundreds of successful surgeries with no losses. Just like the importance of heart surgery, for most families, their real estate transaction represents the largest financial event usually in their lifetime.
Let’s look at education. Those letters you see after a Realtors name are very important. They represent professional designations that the Realtor has obtained. Many of those designations have taken months, with travel, covering a multitude of real estate related subjects, and thousands of dollars to obtain so that you can be represented in your real estate transaction by the best. Trained to negotiate. Trained to get you the most money, in the shortest period of time, with the fewest hassles. Defenders of your equity! You’ve worked hard for your money… don’t give it away!
Marketing. No two real estate companies market the same. You, the buyer or seller owe it to yourself to discover the differences. After all, you are paying for these services! Meet with your Realtor and discuss a proactive marketing plan for your property, what methods of marketing will be used, and obtain a satisfaction guarantee. Interview three Realtors and compare marketing, then choose the best one for you. I know you’ll be surprised!
"I’m going to list with the Realtor who offers the lowest commission." I like this one! Let me start by saying, Are real estate commissions negotiable? Absolutely! The old saying, “you get exactly what you pay for” pretty well applies to just about everything in life… including real estate! There are many limited services brokerages to choose from. When a Realtor says they will do it for less, your antennas need to go up immediately! You need to begin to look very closely at what services you may or may not be about to receive. The best is never cheap.
Shop for a Realtor the same way you would any other service! Compare and then decide. You’ll be glad you did! Visit our website to see The Dickey Group difference!
Tags: Realtor, Real Estate, Marketing
Monday, September 04, 2006
Welcome!
Welcome to the Highland County Blog! Your source for information related to the real estate market in Highland County, OH and surrounding areas!
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