VIDEO: Hills Market Downtown set to open doors on March 19

The Columbus Dispatch Friday March 8, 2013 2:48 PM

Drum roll, please: Hills Market Downtown is set to open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19.

The Downtown version of the longtime local and organic food market in the Worthington Hills neighborhood of Columbus has been in the works since October 2011.

At 95 N. Grant Ave., the 12,000-square-foot former auto repair shop is a few blocks north of Downtown and several blocks south of Columbus State Community College, hoping to draw customers from both areas, said Jill Moorhead, its marketing director.

It's also on the edge of the area being renewed with the help of the Neighborhood Launch housing development, which stretches from from 4th Street to Grant Avenue along Gay and Long streets. The closest grocery store to the neighborhood is the Kroger in the Brewery District on Sycamore Street.

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Gallery Hop March 2nd - Exhibits & Highlights

Short North Arts District Gallery Hop  Saturday March 2, 2013  In the galleries... Brandt-Roberts Galleries - 642 N High St     GAINING SPEED - An Emerging Artists  Initiative     In an effort to highlight and promote emerging student artists and recent graduates of Central Ohio academic institutions, Brandt-Roberts Galleries will strive to provide a platform for this promising group. At least one judiciously chosen new work will be shown in conjunction with the monthly Gallery Hop exhibitions. Only those works particularly compelling and have the potential to shape future artistic directions will be selected.   Join Brandt-Roberts this Gallery Hop weekend featuring a piece by Winnie Sidharta, a recent MFA graduate of The Ohio State University. Her work has been exhibited in Columbus, New York, Indonesia and China. In addition to creating art studio works, she currently teaches as an adjunct lecturer with The Ohio State University.   Rivet  - 1200 N High St   Ohio, You RAWK! continues through March 10th. Rivet prepares for the 16th Annual Columbus College of Art and Design's Art of Illustration show; a juried exhibition featuring 40 works by current students.    There will be an awards ceremony and opening reception on Saturday, March 16th from 7-10PM.  Artists and alumni will be in attendance and complimentary snacks and drinks will be available. Lindsay Gallery - 986 N High St  Four Ways of Looking Bidwa, Fairchild, Gall, Sanders  Curated by Linda Gall, Four Ways of Looking is designed to consider the threads that bind the paintings of seemingly disparate artists. Working independently, all four artists share environmental concerns while expressing their relationship with the natural world in highly individual ways. Sherrie Gallerie - 694 N High St Artist Ruth Markus' three sons Helge, Stanley, and John invite you to Sherrie Gallerie for a special exhibition of her artwork to celebrate what would have been her 89th birthday. Please join us in this March in celebrating Markus: a talented, generous, spirited woman who was a gift to us all. Paul Palnik Cartoon Studios  - 14 E Lincoln St    Paul Palnik exhibits "36 Years of Nude Yodeling in Latvia; a retrospective." Meet Palnik and his whimsical, thought provoking works during the March Gallery Hop. Roy G Biv -  997 N High St    March's exhibition at ROY features three painters: Agnes Burris paints cargo ships as they sink at sea, Andy Plank dissects the idea of "post," and Kaveri Raina speaks to the compression of time and the received dualities of East and West. pm gallery - 1190 N High St Columbus based, self-taught artist Charles Wince will exhibit at pm gallery for the month of March. His unique approach has been described at various times as Outsider/Visionary, Neo-Expressionist, Gonzo, and just plain Weird. He has received a lot of favorable press throughout the years, and has exhibited in over one hundred venues. Sharon Weiss Gallery - 20 E Lincoln St       Artist Sophie J. Knee exhibits Pattern at Sharon Weiss Gallery for the month of March.     Studios on High Gallery - 686 N High St         Studios on High Gallery presents an art exhibit of  "Bolts, Bags, and Bling" by Jacquline Bledsoe, artisan handbag designer, revealing her spring line.  Natural fiber mixes of silk, cotton and leather build the foundation of her handcrafted bags.   Bright embellishments create a fresh look for the season.  Then discover how found objects, rusty hardware and vintage treasures become new again in Barb Swysgood's sculptural assemblages. Her unexpected combinations of up-cycled materials are a visual delight. Hop Happenings... Yuengling specials Surly Girl Saloon - 1126 N High St Stop in to Surly Girl Saloon for $3.50 Yuengling Lager drafts and some of the best food the Short North has to offer. We recommend the Wicked Western White pizza and of course a delicious signature red velvet cupcake to round out your night. Dames Bond Marketplace - 1188 N High St Dames Bond features Mother Artists at Work as the guest artists for the month. Shop Dames Bond this Gallery Hop for fine leather accessories by Of an Era Leathercraft, including hand bags, IPad cases, lipstick carriers, phone carriers, business card holders, journals and wine holders.  Additionally, new artist Barbara Radebaugh will feature her beach glass from Lake Erie. Short North Stage - 1187 N High St   The Green Room at Short North Stage presents  Ordinary Days 8:00PM Tickets $23    Four New Yorkers struggle to find connections in a city of contradictions. Short North Hop Hub - 663 N High St Stop by the Gallery Hop headquarters for information on all the hot spots of the evening and your chance and great giveaways from: Betty's Fine Food + Spirits Bink Davies Bodega Camelot Cellars Candy Cane Dames Bond Marketplace Happy Go Lucky Hubbard Grille Kroger Lily Nails & Spa Phia Salon  Waldo's On High

January Central Ohio Home Sales Highest Since 2007

Central Ohio Housing Report - Jan. 2013

Posted: 2/21/2013

Columbus Board of REALTORS®

January home sales highest since 2007

Central Ohio home sales during the first month of 2013 were the highest for January since 2007 just before the housing market began to feel the effects of the economic recession. The 1,374 closings exceeds the previous year by 20.4 percent (1,141) according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.

“Housing activity was up abnormally high during the traditionally slower months at the end of the year,” said Chris Pedon, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “So we’re not surprised to see such a jump in closings last month.”

Home prices hit their lowest in several years during the recession but are well on their way back. The average sale price of a home sold in central Ohio in 2012 was $167,459, which is 7.2 percent higher than in 2011.The average sales price ($149,477) jumped 5.1 percent from January of 2011 and the median sales price ($129,000) was up 5.3 percent.

New listings as added to the market in January totaled 2,578, which is down 6.0 percent from last year. The number of homes for sale in central Ohio is down to 8,935 – the lowest since summer of 2002.

“We’ve watched inventory dwindle steadily over the last year as demand continued to grow,” added Pedon. “Homeowners that have been waiting to move up, or tried to sell their home a few years ago, should seriously consider listing their home. It’s a whole new game out there today.”

According to the latest Housing Market Confidence Index (by the Ohio Association of REALTORS®), 96 percent of central Ohio REALTORS® describe the current housing market as moderate to strong and 100 percent expect the housing market to be moderate to strong over the next six months. As for home prices, 91 percent expect home prices to remain the same or rise in the next year.

View the current Central Ohio Local Market Update.
View the current Housing market report by area.

The Columbus Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) serves all of Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union Counties and parts of Athens, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Fairfield, Hocking, Knox, Logan, Marion, Muskingum, Perry and Ross Counties.

The monthly housing reports can be found at www.ColumbusRealtors.com/stats. The reports include breakouts for 18 central Ohio counties and 52 local municipalities and school districts.

For more information about the central Ohio housing market, visit www.ColumbusRealtors.com/stats. 
To view commercial properties for sale or lease in central Ohio, visit www.COCIE.org.
To view residential properties for sale, visit www.terrypenrod.com

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What’s the Best Day of Week and Month to List Your Home For Sale?

The story is here

Friday is the best day of the week to sell a home. Homes listed on Friday sell for 99.1 percent of their original asking price, a higher percentage than homes listed on any other day of the week, according to a study by real estate broker Redfin, which analyzed more than 500,000 home listings and sales records.

The best month to sell? April, according to the analysis. Homes sold in April tended to sell closer to their asking price. In April, homes were found to sell for a 99.2 percent sale price-to-list ratio, compared to a 97.3 percent ratio of homes listed in December.

Springtime is still a good time to sell for a higher price and also in the fastest time too, according to the study. Homes tended to sell within 90 days of being listed during March through June, according to the study. 

Redfin also found that pricing the home competitively from its debut is critical because that’s when it’ll receive the most traffic. During the first week a listing debuts on the market, it receives nearly four times more visits on real estate Web sites than it will a month later.

Source: Redfin

Business First: Ohio State set to create east-side version of Campus Partners to boost hospital neighborhood

Ohio State set to create east-side version of Campus Partners to boost hospital neighborhood

Ohio State University trustees Friday will be asked to approve the creation of an affiliated nonprofit that would make good on the university’s 2010 promise to spend $10 million on neighborhood improvements in Columbus' near east side region surrounding University Hospital East.

The entity, to be called PACT for Partners Achieving Community Transformation, would be similar to Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, the university’s affiliate that developed and manages the South Campus Gateway and is spurring housing revitalization in the Weinland Park neighborhood near the main campus. The city and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority are partners in PACT and provide money toward the administrative budget.

More of the story can be found here

2012 Central Ohio home Sales, Prices Flourish - Best Year Since 2007

Central Ohio Housing Report - Dec. 2012

Posted: 1/22/2013

Columbus Board of REALTORS®

2012 home sales, prices flourish - best year since 2007

Central Ohio saw 22,915 single-family and condominium home sales in 2012, up 15.5 percent from the previous year according to the Columbus Board of REATORS®. This marks the highest number of residential home sales since 2007 – the end of the housing boom.

“2012 exceeded our expectations,” said Chris Pedon, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “Sellers opened their doors, buyers brought their confidence, lenders gave their best rates and REALTORS® worked eight days a week.”

The average sale price of a home sold in central Ohio in 2012 was $167,459, which is 7.2 percent higher than in 2011. The average sale price for the month of December was $158,898 – a 7.5 percent increase over the same time last year.

The median sale price of a home sold in 2012 was $144,500 – up 8.7 percent from 2011. The median list price of a home sold in December was $136,450, which is 9.2 percent higher than one year ago.

The difference between the average sales price and the median sales price is that the average sales price is the sum of all the prices for all closed sales in a given month, divided by the number of homes sold. The median sales price is a mathematical result that indicates that one half of the group is higher and one half lower. The median price of 101 sold homes would be that price which is lower than 50 of the prices and also higher than 50 of them.

The inventory of homes for sale in central Ohio is at its lowest point in over a decade (9,252) - 18.8 percent less than December 2011.

“Homeowners who are putting off listing their house because we’re not “in season” are missing out on opportunity,” added Pedon. “Buyers are out there - and they’re not waiting for summer to buy.”

According to the latest Housing Market Confidence Index (by the Ohio Association of REALTORS®), 93 percent of central Ohio REALTORS® describe the current housing market as moderate to strong and 97 percent expect the housing market to be moderate to strong over the next six months. As for home prices, 85 percent expect home prices to remain the same or rise in the next year.

View the current Central Ohio Local Market Update.
View the current Housing market report by area.

The Columbus Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) serves all of Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union Counties and parts of Athens, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Fairfield, Hocking, Knox, Logan, Marion, Muskingum, Perry and Ross Counties.

The monthly housing reports can be found at ColumbusRealtors.com/stats. The reports include breakouts for 18 central Ohio counties and 52 local municipalities and school districts. New areas included in the 2012 reports include: Grove City and local school districts for Big Walnut, Miami Trace, Johnstown-Monroe and Northridge.

For more information about the central Ohio housing market, visit ColumbusRealtors.com/stats
To view commercial properties for sale or lease in central Ohio, visit COCIE.org.
To view residential properties for sale, visit www.terrypenrod.com

HER Realtors Becomes the Fastest Growing Real Estate Brokerage in Ohio

January 15, 2013

Columbus, OH - Today HER Realtors, central Ohio's largest real estate brokerage, is announcing a merger with Real Living Realty Services in Dayton, and Real Living Realty Services in Cincinnati to create one of the largest, and the fastest growing brokerage in the state.  The new, larger company will be known as HER Realtors in all three markets.

In October of 2012, HER Realtors left the Real Living franchise network, and began an aggressive local and regional growth plan.

"This is a very exciting day!  We are merging these great companies into a force that is unrivaled in our markets.  The HER Realtors name has long been synonymous with superior customer service, the most professional real estate agents and the most innovative technology and tools in the business," said Harley E. Rouda, Jr. "It feels good to be returning to my roots."

HER Realtors was founded by real estate pioneer and innovator, Harley E. Rouda, Sr., who passed away in June of 2012.  Rouda, Jr., left his position as president of Real Living Real Estate, a national franchise company that was founded within the HER Realtors organization in 2001, and is now the CEO of Trident Holdings, Inc., which has various investments in real estate related businesses throughout the Midwest, including HER Realtors.

With this merger, HER Realtors will be home to approximately 900 associates in nearly 60 offices throughout central and southwestern Ohio.  The combined sales volume of the companies in 2012 was approximately $1.4 billion.

"The timing could not be better for this move, and over the next few weeks and months the company will be announcing additional mergers, new search tools for consumers and additional business support tools for sales associates to make sure we continue to earn the trust of our clients," Rouda added. "With the emerging strength of the market, and the shared strength of these companies coming together, we are extremely well positioned for future growth."

For more information please contact:

Chris Derrow, President

614-273-6020

Michael Mahon, Executive Vice President, General Manager

614-273-6024