Comfest (Goodale Park, Victorian Viliage)

ComFest
June 24-26; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Satruday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday
Goodale Park, Victorian Village
Annual all-volunteer celebration featuring food and craft vendors and many local bands performing of numerous stages.
comfest.com

Powell Festival
June 24-25; 5-11 p.m. Friday, 12-11 p.m. Saturday
Village Green Park, Powell
Two days of live music, food and family fun capped by fireworks display.
cityofpowell.us

North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival
July 8-10; 7-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 12-6 p.m. Sunday
North Market, Arena District
Ohio wineries and local cuisine vendors and live music.
northmarket.com

Westerville Music & Arts Festival
July 9-10; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Heritage Park, Westerville
Local artists and musicians in downtown Westerville.
westervillechamber.com

Bike Columbus Festival
July 15; begins at 6 p.m.
City Hall, Downtown
Two bikes tours, 12 and 25 miles, through Columbus ending at an after party on Gay St.
bikecolumbusfestival.com

Franklin County Fair
July 16-23; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Saturday
4H displays, contests, live entertainment, games, fair concessions, rodeo, moto cross and tractor pulls.
fcfair.org

Shadwobox Live Sketch Comedy Festival
July 19-20; show times TBD
Shadowbox Live, Easton
Comedy troupes from around the country go head-to-head in a two-day competition.
shadowboxlive.org

Jazz & Rib Festival
July 22-24; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday
McFerson Commons and North Bank Park, Arena District
Award-winning barbecue competition and live music by national and local acts throughout three days.
hotribscooljazz.org

Serbian Festival
12-10 p.m. Saturday, July 23
St. Stevan of Dechani Serbian Church, East Side
Annual summer picnic featuring live Serbian music, dancing, full bar, and a buffet of authentic cuisine.
ststevanofdechani.org

Ohio State Fair
July 27-Aug. 7; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, July 27-Saturday Aug. 6, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6
Ohio State Fairgrounds
Rides, concessions, livestock displays and competitions and nightly concerts featuring Ke$ha, Journey, Brad Paisley and more.
ohiostatefair.com

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

6/14/2011 Free Script Reading Series Raconteur Theatre Company

6/16/2011 Urban Monthly Mix Exchange OSU Urban Arts Space

6/17/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/17/2011 June Music & Art in the Park City of Canal Winchester

6/17/2011 Raconteur presents Whales, Sav Raconteur Theatre Company

6/18/2011 Digital Video Workshop OSU Urban Arts Space

6/18/2011 Raconteur presents Whales, Sav Raconteur Theatre Company

6/18/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/19/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/19/2011 Brass Band Of Columbus North Columbus Civitan Club Park Of Roses Concerts

6/20/2011 Camp Rock Jazz Arts Group

6/20/2011 Camp Blues II Jazz Arts Group

Business Events

6/16/2011 Business Expo (Trade Fair) Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce

Children Activities

6/17/2011 Tween Scene Groveport Cultural Arts Center

6/18/2011 Rocky’s Reading Room PBJ Connections

6/20/2011 Summer Camp with the Horses PBJ Connections

Clubs

6/16/2011 Bridge Club JCC

Education

6/20/2011 Intro to Digital Photography Groveport Cultural Arts Center

Environment & Recycling

6/18/2011 Canoe Float – Alum Creek river Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries (FACT)

Fundraiser / Benefit

6/14/2011 SpeedPie on American Flag Day American Pie Party

6/16/2011 “Wine in the Garden” (featured event) Heritage Day Health Centers – Adult Day Care

6/18/2011 Taste For F.A.C.E. Friends of Art for Community Enrichment

6/20/2011 1st Annual Golf Tournament T.O.U.C.H. Mentoring Program

Health

6/14/2011 Mindfulness Meditation Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/15/2011 Cooking for Wellness @ RMH Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/15/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Qigong Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Tai Chi Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Cooking for Wellness Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/18/2011 Walk with a Doc Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/18/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/20/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

Lecture / Workshop

6/14/2011 Homebuyer Workshop Groveport Cultural Arts Center

Literary

6/16/2011 Reader’s Circle Membership Meetings

6/20/2011 Weekly Network Mtg w/speaker 40 Plus of Central Ohio – Professionals in Transition

Social Services

6/16/2011 Bexley Farmers’ Market

Other

6/16/2011 COSI After Dark COSI Columbus

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

A flash mob erupted at the first annual Follow Me! – Fun Fit Family Day.

The dancing started spontaneously as these things tend to go during the last half hour of the event and continued until the event’s closing gaining momentum as it went along. A very exciting and sweaty way to cap off a day of activities!

Held at Easton Town Center, Fun Fit Family day was an exciting event with enumerable activities including.

- Pictures with the National Championship Trophy
- Make Your Own Bracelet Station
- OSU Activity Zone
- Columbus Blue Jackets Corner – interactive activities
- A full sized street hockey arena
- Columbus Crew – interactive inflatable activities, prize wheel & FIFA Xbox

- COSI on Wheels ~ 9 Fun activities about “The Incredible Human Machine”

- Face Painting

- Caricatures
- Booths to learn about nutrition, local activities and businesses

Free 30 minute activities for the family led by some of the best athletes and fitness professionals in Columbus include karate, yoga, ballet, and Zumba.

There was also a football clinic with former OSU football players, and healthy cooking demonstrations at the MI home store.

Follow Me! Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids” main ongoing mission is to aide in the fight against the rising epidemic of childhood obesity in America by educating parents of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Downtown Columbus is about to get a major facelift.

Work on The Scioto Mile, a huge winding riverfront park that stretches from the Arena District all the way to the Whittier Peninsula is on track for its grand opening on July 7th. The mile which boasts fountains, benches, and free Wi-Fi will physically connect Downtown to the Scioto River. Construction began in 2008, there is word that the Promenade section of the park may be open for visitors to take in the fireworks on the 4th as well.

The Promenade section of the park stretches along Civic Center Drive from Broad Street to Rich Street and connects Battelle and Bicentennial Parks.  Civic Center Drive has already undergone huge renovations in order to enhance access to the park.

A historic limestone railing (called the balustrade) runs along the Scioto Mile. The balustrade is presently undergoing restoration and will ultimately team with a continuous stone bench and a bubbling four foot-wide stream.

In addition to these features, a stone colonnade with swinging benches, traditional park benches, card and chess tables and a stunning plaza make this park an beautiful collaboration between nature and architecture.

And yes, the entire area will be designated a free Wi-Fi zone, offering a little work and a little play every day.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Real Living, one of the nation’s most innovative national real estate franchisers, announced that 30 additional companies — along with their hundreds of real estate professionals and dozens of offices — have already selected Real Living this year, as the company’s national expansion continues.

“This year has started with a lot of momentum and we are excited to have these 30 firms join the ever-expanding Real Living national network of real estate offices,” said Real Living President Harley E. Rouda, Jr. “We are seeing companies from coast to coast embracing the Real Living brand as we continue to grow our network of offices.”

Rouda said the growth isn’t over. ”As we continue our expansion in 2011, we anticipate additional firms joining Real Living from markets of all sizes, including those we partner with through Area Development Alliances. Through our Area Development Alliances, we are bringing an innovative approach to the industry by sharing franchise fees with alliance partners. This is truly an exciting growth vehicle for us, and a fabulous revenue opportunity for franchisees.”

In 2010, Real Living maintained an industry-leading customer satisfaction rating of 96 percent based upon research by an independent research firm. For more information, visit http://www.realliving.com.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Home sales are on the rise in Central Ohio. According to the Columbus Board of REALTORS home sales in March outpaced the previous month by almost 32% bringing the total number of homes sold during the first quarter of 2011 to 3,678.

1,487 homes were sold last month in central Ohio, up 31.8% from the previous month’s sales. While the year’s sales are behind 2010 by 7.9% that number is still 6.9% ahead of the 2,178 sold in the first quarter of 2009.

Homes put in contract saw an increase over last year as well, by 11.5% 2,512 to 2,252.

This looks like a trend of leveling off when you factor in the fact that this year’s average sale price for homes in central Ohio is down 3.7% from 2010, but also up 3.8% from the average sale price in 2009. Spring fever is working its magic however with the average price of a home sold in March being $144,975, up 2.1% from the previous month’s average of $140,770.

As trends in the market go it seems the supply and demand curves are working their magic. The total inventory of homes available for sale was down 22.3% from a year ago making way for this positive growth.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

1 Water's Edge, New Albany, headquarters of the Limited Stores, TS24, Bluemile, and Janova

Even despite the downturn in the economy over the past few years, New Albany has seen steady job growth.

Since Leslie H. Wexner transformed New Albany into a high end business community, it has become a magnet for corporate expansion.

The last 2 years have been no exception, during what has been deemed The Great Recession. During this time, the New Albany Business Park has lured companies of all types and added a total of 2,800 jobs.

According to Ed McMahon of the Washington-based Urban Land Institute “one of the attractions in a city like New Albany is that wealthy people have invested their own money in it.”

That investment has been put to good use in development of a state-of-the-art business infrastructure. Companies such as Bluemile that take that infrastructure to the next level by offering the latest computer and internet solutions available.

When all is said and done New Albany’s biggest asset is the same for the companies as for the top talent they are trying to lure. Good quality of life, attractive surroundings, lack of traffic congestion, and good schools.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

The past 4 years have done a number to the process of getting a home loan.

From the buyer’s perspective, the process should go something like this: you give your loan company your financial information, they package it and send it to the underwriter who approves it and sends it back to the loan company who ties up all of the loose ends and closes the loan.

Scott Miller, Mortgage Consultant for MetLife Home Loans gives insight into some of the current hoops one can expect to jump through in the process of getting a loan.

• Dealing with the underwriter: today’s average loan gets kicked back to the underwriter 3.8 times.
• Giving information you do not feel is pertinent to the process: for example you may be asked for the address of your credit bureau.
• Writing letters to explain something within your file: i.e. credit, income, or deposits.
• Not meeting the closing date: last year 26% of all real estate transactions did not meet their closing date.

In short, due to the in flux nature of securities like Fannie Mae one has to expect the unexpected.

Buying a house is a pretty big deal. Like being born, the end justifies the painful means.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

With the news about the market environment brightening sellers days a bit it is fitting to step back and recognize, it’s still very much a buyer’s market.

With foreclosures and short sales as well as the economy still driving prices down, buyers have a big advantage.

Even so, its not like you’re buying a cup of coffee here. This is a big decision, here are a few pointers.

• Be realistic: keep your offer in the 10% range of the listed price.
• If you are looking to buy quickly and not compromise on features look to newer communities.
• Do your homework: understand the market and the inventory that is out there.
• Understand negotiations: what have other buyers been asking for/ receiving in the area.

Her Real Living’s Chris Pedon pointed out in a recent interview for Real Estate Revival “The seller needs to be flexible because it seems as if we are negotiating 3 or 4 times instead of one, it isn’t like the old days where you put it in contract and move toward closing.”

Good words of advice to the seller, and a heads up to potential buyers.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

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Blacklick Ohio sees increase in average listing price and median sales price

Blacklick, Ohio’s real estate market update offers some promising results.  According to trulia.com’s data, 365 homes recently sold in the Blacklick, Ohio area.  The average listing price has increased by 1.8 percent, up to $176,877, as compared to the same period of time last year. Additionally, the median sales price has increased over the months of October to December 2010 by 3 percent, up to $137,900.  However, the average price per square feet has decreased by 3.8 percent when compared to data for the same period of time last year.  Popular areas of Franklin County, Ohio include New Albany, Gahanna, Columbus, Dublin, and Hilliard.

Take a look at more real estate market updates for Central Ohio, including Blacklick and Columbus, at trulia.com.  Search the Central Ohio MLS by clicking here for many wonderful featured properties.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.