Happy New Year from The Weiner Real Estate Group!  

Please remember to drive safely tonight!

Homes for Sale Cleveland

Free Market Snapshot

To buy or sell your home in 2009 please contact Erin Oakley at The Weiner Real Estate Group of Keller Williams at 216-410-8221 or by email at info@NoPlaceLikeCleveland.com

The Ohio Association of Realtors have come out with their January-November 2008 state wide numbers. The news is good for buyers!  OAR President Brad Knapp said, "despite stricter lending rules...and contrary to popular thought...buyers can still get credit." (Ohio Realtor Magazine Jan 2009 pg. 8)

The Ohio housing marketplace experienced a decline in activity in November from the level posted a year ago. This could be due to a tight credit market and falling consumer confidence.

In Northern Ohio sales units are down 9.5%.  Sale prices in Northern Ohio are also down 13.8%. 

The good news is for you, buyers!  Greater Cleveland Home Buyers are able to take advantage of excellent conditions--- with extremely favorable interest rates, an array of housing in all price categories and realistic expectations among sellers in the current market. 

If you are looking to buy a home in the Greater Cleveland Area please contact Erin Snyder Oakley at 216-410-8221 or by email at info@NoPlaceLikeCleveland.com

Homes for Sale Cleveland

Find out What Your Home is Worth

Here is the Chagrin Falls, Ohio market report for September-December 2008.

Currently there are 61 homes on the market in Chagrin Falls. 

These homes have been on the market an average of 160 days.

They have an average list price of $418,623.

There are 5 pending listing in Chagrin Falls.  These have an average list price of $231,760 and have been on the market an average of 181 days.

8 Homes have sold in Chagrin Falls since September.  These homes had been on the market an average of 84 days and have an average sale price of $265,087.

Seller are accepting 92% of their list price.

There is currently 20 months of inventory in Chagrin Falls.

If you are interested in learning more about selling your Chagrin Falls home please contact Erin Snyder Oakley at 216-410-8221 or by email at info@NoPlaceLikeCleveland.com

Homes For Sale Cleveland

Free Market Snap Shot

Here is the Solon, OH market report for December.  These numbers represent the last 90 days in market activity. 

There are currently 169 active listings on the market in Solon. The average list price is $402,532.

These homes have been on the market an average of 135 days.

Homes that are now under contract are the most recent successes, these sellers have reached their goals.

There are currently 14 pending listings in Solon.

These homes have been on the market an average of 69 days.

Homes that have recently sold are historic indicators of perceived value. Appraisers will use this data when determining the loan value of your home.

There were 26 properties sold since September, 2008 in Solon.

These homes were on the market for an average of 95 days.

The average sale price of $282,661 divided by the average list price of $301,300, tells us

that sellers are accepting, on the average, 93% of the list price.

Homes that have been on the market and never sold tell us a story.

The total number of market rejected homes (expired listings) since September, 2008 is 58.

These homes have been on the market an average of 173 days.

 To keep you busy while the kids are home from school this holiday season here are the top 10 Cleveland Museums to visit this winter:

1.) The Cleveland Museum of Natural History: "The Museum offers an extraordinary visitor experience. Permanent exhibits of special interest include the 3 million-year-old human ancestor Australopithecus afarensis, known as "Lucy," and the 150 million-year-old Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, one of the most complete mounted sauropods on display anywhere in the world." Also check out Race, Are We so Different? on exhibit from now till January 4, 2009.  

2.) Great Lakes Science Center:  If you are looking for a fun filled day of brain building experiences check out the Science Center.  Right now you can check Robots, as well as renewable Energy Exhibits.

3.) The Cleveland Children's Museum: "The Children's Museum is the only institution in Cleveland completely dedicated to the overall development of young children, ages birth to eight years, through family learning."

4.) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Check out exhibits about the Beatles and other rock legends.  The museum is open 363 days a year! 

5.) Cleveland Museum of Art: Now through January 18, check out Artistic Luxury: Faberg?, Tiffany, Lalique.

6.) Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum:  Learn about the history of land and air by visiting interesting, engaging and entertaining exhibits, displays and activities.

7.) Dunham Tavern Museum:   The museum and its gardens offer a glimpse of history and insight into the lifestyles of early Ohio settlers and travelers.

8.) The Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art:  The Museum of Contemporary Art features a annual schedule of eleven temporary exhibits, featuring emerging Northeast Ohio artists as well as national and international masters.

9.)  Cleveland Police Museum: Located on the first floor of police headquarters in the justice center this museum documents the history of Cleveland Police.

10.)  International Women's Air and Space Museum: Located at Burke lake front Airport, in Cleveland Ohio, the museum is a repository of information about women in aviation and space.

If you are interested in buying or selling your Greater Cleveland home, please contact Erin Snyder Oakley at 216-410-8221 or by email at info@NoPlaceLikeCleveland.com

Homes for Sale Cleveland

Free Market Snapshot

 The debate wages on over if it is a good time buy a Greater Cleveland home or not. 

Over the holiday weekend I was with my brother Brian.  Brian lives in New York City and works in the mortgage backed securities trading market.  Since we are both involved in this mortgage meltdown, Brian on the larger side, Erin on the local side, we had a nice debate on weather or not it is a good time to buy a house in Pepper Pike, Shaker Heights, or Cleveland Heights.

Since I am sure we are not the only household having this debate, I will now share it with you.  

His side:  

There are no economic indicators in Cleveland that will make housing values go back up.  If you were to buy today and go to sell in the next couple of years there is no guarantee that your house will be worth more.  So to make the statement that this is a good time to buy is not true. From an investment standpoint on your home, you may not make money. Therefore, it is not a good time to buy because a good time to buy would mean that you would benefit financially from your purchase in the long run.

My Side: 

As a Greater Cleveland real estate expert, I find it hard to believe that this is not a good time to buy.  Home values around the Cleveland area are down. Affordability is going up, higher in 3^rd qtr then it has been in years. 

A great example of this is a house The Weiner Real Estate Group has listed for $800,000.  Two years ago this house was on the market for $899,000.  Today it is listed for $800,000.  The house is the same beautiful house, in perfect condition it was two years ago, however the market is not the same.   A buyer wanting to buy a house in the $750,000-$800,000 range is now going to get a house that was in the $900,000-$950,000 range a couple years ago.  How is that not a deal?  How is that not a good time to buy?  The savings is amazing.

Now, if the same person decides to buy this house for around $800,000 then decides that he or she no longer wants to live there in the next two or three years, I can not predict the market is going to allow them to sell the house for more then $800,000.  It might be worth less.  We just don’t know.  No one can predict the future.

The point is, if you decide to buy now, you will be able to afford a house that might have been $50,000 or $60,000 out of your price range 2 or even 5 years ago. Our market is the biggest move up market since the great depression.  Interest rates are low, and prices are down.   

To me there is no question; it is a great time to buy.

No one can predict the future. If you want to find a great house that you love and may not have been able to afford a couple years ago it is a great time to buy.  My job is to find you a home that you want to live in and love. 

 In life, sometimes you need to look out for your happiness and not just what will make you money in the long run.  We don’t know what the future holds; we only know what is today.

To weigh in on the great debate, post your comments here.

Or if you would like some more information on how you can buy a home on the East Side of Cleveland, please contact Erin Snyder Oakley at 216-410-8221 or by email at info@NoPlaceLikeCleveland.com.

Homes for Sale Cleveland                          Free Market Snap Shot