Rant on Community Development Programs

The other day I had a client that I sold a home to in 1995 come into my office for advice on investing in real estate. A lot of agents would listen to this persons situation and figure how many homes they can sell them. This is what I call making a fast buck. I explained to this person the good and bad of owning rental property. Call me a Buzz kill but until you own it outright there really isn't much profit. You used to be able to count on inflation to help make the profit grow. By this I mean as value went up you could raise the rents and try to pay off your loan quicker or use that money as extra income. I own rental property and I haven't raised rents for 4 going on 5 years now. My taxes have gone up and the cost of repairs,services, gas, water and sewer have gone up. As I sat there I realized that this person has a great background in Human resources. I suggested starting a non profit community development program. My idea is that you get some government grants and funding, or find private benefactors to finance people in depressed areas of town. This community service would be like an old fashioned bank. The goal is to teach people how to purchase and own a home. It also would have programs on simple home repairs along with how to balance a check book and even open a checking acct.,write a check and avoid penalties. This service would also look to develop businesses in the area to support the neighborhood. A dry cleaner, florist, funeral home, grocery store, shoe repair, ect. Isn't this how banks got started? Isn't this how we started the American dream? The problem is there are all these community service organizations collecting funds to do just this but not delivering the goods. Yes a few people earn a paycheck and some people benefit. We need to revamp the system and make some huge changes and hold people accountable when they get these funds. All I see as a Realtor is a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Lets have a housing fair put a few homes on tour and serve lunch! We need a grass roots campaign that starts with educating those who want to live in a community and help build one. We have to start making opportunities for these people instead of just handing them a house or free rent. Everyone feels better when they have earned something and can be proud. There is an organization called Habitat for humanity. It gets a bunch of do gooders together to build a new home that they turn over to some lucky family. This is what I call a hand out. It is not teaching them how to survive.there is an old statement about teaching a man to fish.when you teach how to fish you teach him how to eat for life. Give him a fish and you only feed him for one day. We need to pull together as a community and start teaching the people in these lower valued communities how start being a part of a community with home ownershipb usiness, and pride. Cleveland magazine just had an article about beigna true suburbanite. You took a quiz and it was funny but it said a lot about values and neighbors. A great example of one man making a huge difference is Clint Williams who owns a small real estate company in Berea and Olmsted Falls. About 30 years ago before I got into real estate I went on a job interview to be a decorator. The man I met was Clint Williams if my memory is correct. I didn't know him or of him in any way. I was young and he was trying to explain to me his vision. I met him at his commercial development in Olmsted Falls. Back then it was a couple of old buildings. They didn't have anything but shells. They were kind of old looking like frontier land at an amusement park. I don't know if it was because I was young or if he just couldn't explain his vision to me but quite frankly I thought he was crazy. I left the interview not wanting the job and went on with my life. Many years later I got into real estate and again crossed paths with this man. Now I am not saying I like this person, we never could see eye to eye. He beat me out of a couple of sales because I was working in his area or neighborhood. The man was shrewd and and good business man. I never take getting beat out of a deal well so I can't say I like the guy, but I respect him. If I ran into him he wouldn't know who I am. My response to him has been to stay out of his way and kind of fly under the radar when operating business in his part of town. That was back when he listed and sold property. Now I think he is into developing commercial deals more. Back to how he is a good example of developing a community and making a profit too. He took what I thought was a bunch of ugly buildings and built a old western style outdoor market with cute little shops and restaurants some of which I have blogged about already. This one man created what I believe is the core of what makes Olmsted Falls charming and quaint. He was working in this town before anyone else thougth it was worth while. When I was new in the business he ruled. You couldn't compete with him on his turf. He has moved on to bigger things and is not such a formidable force now but he has left behind a community that he shaped and formed to be a viable community. He had a vision which I couldn't see 30 years ago but today I marvel at it. I remember that interview and how I thought he was crazy. I bet a lot of other people did too! I don't believe he did this because of great community spirit. I know from my meetings with him it was for profit. Good old fashioned American greed done the right way where everybody wins. Kind of like Legacy Village and Crocker Park but on a much smaller scale. This is what we need to do. Congress just passed a bill to give our community some funds for revitalization. We need to hold these people who get these funds responsible. I am tired of smoke and mirrors and bullshit. Maybe they should stop giving this money to non profits and start letting some dreams come true with old fashioned entrepreneurship.

Return visit to Quince in Olmsted Falls

Jack and I went back to visit Quince this past Friday June 20,2008. Well I only get the plain dealer on Sundays so I was surprised to see how busy they were. I said to Jack do you think it is because of my blog! Of course it wasn't Quince was in the Friday Magazine that Friday. It was packed! We got a table on the second floor and I actually liked the atmosphere better up there. There is a bar with stools and the decorating is a little more comfortable. You could tell the staff was really working hard to keep up. I was a little worried that we might be in for a bad experience. I am delighted to say that the service was excellent. Gregg Korney the chefs parents were there helping out. They are not shy and you could tell that customer service was nothing new to them. His father was charming and his mother adorable. The poor parents were running up and down the steps making sure everything went smooth. Thanks to their helping hand it was seamless. The food came promptly. Jack ordered the steak special. It was seasoned to perfection and set on a cloud of garlic and horseradish mashed potatoes. I actually moaned out loud when I tasted his. I ordered chopped steak in a mushroom ragout and roasted vegetables,only eleven dollars! It was fabulous. The flavors were so satisfying like eating comfort food. We decided that this is one of our favorite restaurants for now. We are looking forward to our next Quince experience!

Sandusky Restaurant Find

Recently I got to visit Sandusky Ohio, Okay I'll admit it I went there for bike week! Call it a mid-life crisis. Amongst the street fair of deepfried cheese, corn on the cob and elephant ears I found a jewel of a restaurant. It is Zinc Brassarie located at 142 Columbus off E Market. Right downtown. This precious little find had an excellent wine menu,try "Show" a great cabernet. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked soooo Good!The salads had a wonderful light but tasty dressing. Good bread with flavored butter. Dinner selections for every palette. You can tell the owners put extra care into everything that came out of the kitchen. The service was even great! The owners Audrey and Ceaser are really friendly. They met in Hyde park while going to Culinary school there. This is their dream to have a great little high end Bar restaurant. Thank goodness because Sandusky really needs this gem. After a tough day at Ceadar Point or one of the many fun attractions in Sandusky stop by for a nice relaxing dinner or lunch.

Mid June Activity Report Cleveland Ohio

The real estate market took a slight slide the last few weeks. It is my opinion that the current gas prices are starting to take its toll on the general population. Showing activity is down. Even new listing activity is down. Nationally there was a slight spike in new construction prices. Again I think this is due to the gas prices and higher cost of materials. The spike in new construction prices isn't a sign of things looking up, maybe more bleak. In the beginning of the year I thought we were set for a rebound, this slight drop has me concerned that we are in for a far bigger set back then the economist predicted. The suburbs are stabilizing but the urban and first suburbs are feeling real pain in pricing. Maybe it is time for radical change. Maybe this Moral majority should step aside and let them build a few Casinos in Ohio. Redevelop our downtown lake front with some fancy Casinos and Hotels and shops. The flats could be a fabulous condo community with riverfront boat docks with restaurants.
Our goal should be to make Cleveland a convention stop. Gambling is the only way to compete with New Orleans,San Francisco,Orlando, and Hawaii, we have to utilize our assets. Then and only then will we start to see a real rebound.

Restaurant Review

The Moosehead No 3 Hook and Ladder


OLmsted Falls,Ohio


The owners of The Moosehead located in Westlake,Ohio hit a home run with their new restaurant. They are located on Columbia where Columbia does a little turn. It is on the East side just before the tracks. They are located in the old firehouse and spent some money. The decor is just a cute as the Westlake Moosehead but this is fresh, new and larger (so you won't have to wait for a table). It has two bars and dining areas. Two outdoor patios. One that overlooks a wooded ravine and creek. The other overlooking downtown Olmsted Falls. The menu varies just a little bit from the old Moosehead. There are more Vegetarian choices for one thing. They have a deep fried Twinkies dessert. Great sandwiches and salads.

Upscale casual. The service people all dress in adorable costume. It is bright and friendly and I strongly recommend it. NO liquor license on Sunday
Another great restaurant is Quince

just across the street from the Hook and Ladder in the quaint Olmsted Falls

shopping area. The chef has been with some of the top places in town such as Sushi Rock,Velocity,and Giovanni's. This doesn't have a lot interior pizazz but the food makes up for it. The menu is exceptional and very creative. I had the seafood mac-n-cheese and it was fabulous. I couldn't come near to finishing it so I bought it home. My teenager polished it off and he doesn't even like seafood. My companion had the special strip steak with bacon and Gorgonzola. I have never seen a more generous serving of toppings. Wonderful!! The salad was light but tasty. I will put this on my list of favorites. Get off the beaten path and try Olmsted Falls for your next dinner out.

Not open on Sunday

The best time to buy in Cleveland Ohio

Just posted a new article check it out

Is your home still a good investment?

I sell real estate in Cleveland Ohio. We are in a declining market. That means values are going down. So what do you do if you are thinking of making a move? First of all some moves can't wait. If you are in the process of getting a divorce, settling an estate, faced with a relocation, etc.
The faster you get into reality of the present market and look at what the market is doing as compared to your property the faster you will see a sale pending sign in the yard. Homes are selling. The buyers are educated and armed with more information than ever because of the Internet. Gone are the days when some poor jerk happened into your open house and fell in love and purchased your home. Buyers look up your past history. I know when they are interested because they tell me what you bought your house for. They look at the neighborhood through websites like Realtor.com and Zillow. They can see what the average is for market time, sale price per sq ft, etc. for each neighborhood. Realtors are no longer the gatekeepers of information.
You have to be the best looking home and the best price. Price is the driver in this market. If you are trying to sell your home for what you think is a comfortable price then you are not priced right. The only clients that have a sold sign on the front lawn are the ones that sold for what they felt was a painful price. That is what happens in a declining market. If you are looking to purchase a new home and take advantage of this excellent opportunity to upgrade, than this is how your have to approach your move; 1.Realize that you are getting great price on your
purchase 2. Realize you have to give a good deal on your house. You are just trading assets. Hopefully, the new home purchase is in a more expensive, more stable area. When the market returns you will be fine. Decide which property you want to be riding on when the market starts to go back up. Realize the losses are larger the higher the value . You are going to have to ride this out where ever you are. You might as well take the opportunity to upgrade now instead of later. If you are happy with your home and aren't considering a move. Look at the foreclosure down the street from you and think about buying it for rental property. You can sell it when the market goes back up and in the mean time you have helped stabilize your own neighborhood.