The 2011 Real Trends Top 1000 rankings are out and 12 members of the Real Living family are included on the list. The rankings were compiled by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends, Inc. focusing on individual professionals and teams from across the United States.

Top sales representatives are slotted into four categories of rankings including the top 250 real estate professionals by transaction sides, professionals by transaction volume, teams by transaction sides and teams by transaction volume.

Here’s how Real Living and Agents ranked in the top 1,000:

Top 250 Teams by Transaction Volume
Sandy Raines/ The Raines Group Real Living HER 83
Marie Jo Atkins Real Living Lifestyles 204
Teti-Olenik (Diane Teti & John Olenik) Real Living Lifestyles 239

Top 250 Teams by Transaction Sides
Sandy Raines/ The Raines Group Real Living HER 131
Ralph Suarez Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living 226

Top 250 Real Estate Professionals by Transaction Sides
Gary May Real Living Success 131
Anngel Benoun Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living 246

Top 250 Real Estate Professionals by Transaction Volume
Tracy McLaughlin Pacific Union International, Inc. 110
Sandra Tanco Kinlin Grover Real Estate 145
Dana Green Pacific Union International, Inc. 153
Steven Mavromihalis Pacific Union International Inc. 171
John Lee Pacific Union International, Inc. 245

Once again, The Raines Group achieved the highest ranking (83rd) and is thus the #1 sales team for Real Living, nationwide. In 2011, The Raines Group has already surpassed last year’s success (with a few months still to go!) which begs the question, “Where will they place next year?”

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.

On Sunday, The Ohio Association of Realtors announced the winners of this year’s OAR Promotion and Advertising Contest. Real Living HER won first place in 50% of the statewide categories! The contest winners will be part of the OAR exhibitor space at this year’s state convention through Wednesday.

Real Living was entered in the “large firm” category and here are the awards:

First Place – Auction Promotion Materials

First Place – Business Cards and Stationary

First Place – Commercial/Investment Brochures

First Place – Firm website (HERRealtors.com)

First Place – Institutional Advertising (Curbside Info campaign)

First Place – Institutional Communications (One Real Living company e-newsletter)

First Place – Billboard (Lancaster associates coop ad)

First Place – Photos of Office Exteriors (Granville – Hugh Price)

First Place – Photos of Office Signs (new Lewis Center Office)

First Place – Television Advertising (Curbside Info 30 second spot)

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.

According to the National Association Realtors (REALTOR Magazine July/August 2011) Franchise Report based on net office growth 2011 over 2009.

According to the National Association of Realtors Real Living has been crowned the fastest growing real estate brand.

While many residential real estate brokerages have been closing offices and losing agents, the Real Living brand stands out as an extreme example of success and progress. Since 2009 Real Living has opened 265 new offices. We now have 425 real estate offices and 10,000 agents through out the country.

“In an industry as fiercely competitive, complex and challenging as real estate, being the nation’s fastest-growing brand is a major achievement, and all of us at Real Living are extremely proud of this milestone,” Real Living President Harley E. Rouda, Jr., said.

Real Living’s national growth was set in motion in November, 2009 when it was acquired by Brookfield Residential Property Services, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management. At that time, the company made its growth plans known, saying Real Living is, “about to get bigger — much bigger”. Brookfield Residential Property Services then merged Real Living with GMAC Real Estate, a company it purchased the previous year.

Since then, Real Living has welcomed hundreds of respected, market-leading real estate firms into its family of franchisees. Comprising large, medium and small firms, spanning virtually all across the United States.

“We deliver on our unique promise to help our brokers and agents every way we possibly can, from providing them with cutting-edge technology that streamlines day-to-day tasks, to training them in Premier Service®, the industry’s most comprehensive customer-service program, bar none,” Rouda explained.

Through Premier Service, Real Living agents put in writing, up front, the comprehensive services they will perform on customers’ behalf. Once transactions are completed, every customer is asked to work with a third-party firm on a detailed questionnaire to honestly assess their experiences with Real Living. The company has maintained an industry-leading 96 percent customer satisfaction rating.

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.

Our little college town has gotten a shout out in MSN Money for, well, being a college town. Yes it has some major perks. Aside from having the stability of The Ohio State University and the jobs that come with it, there is also the rental market that comes as a side dish. Many of the people who are putting off buying a home are going back to school and renting – a great time to own rental property in Columbus! HER Property Management is a great source for tenants and buyers/ owners to help navigate the leasing environment. They are also ready to help connect rental owners with prospective tenants throughout the central Ohio area.

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.

Staging is not hard or costly, but in reality many homeowners find it difficult because it is hard to see objectively when you love something. Staging does pay off however, as Sue Fitzgerald of New Albany, a recent successful seller with The Raines Group, can attest.

A few rules to live by when staging your home.

#1  Clean

To achieve the level of clean your potential buyers expect may require hiring a cleaning crew, consider this an investment. Get your windows cleaned inside and out as well.

#2 Fix

Anything you have put off getting fixed? You cannot put that off any longer. Cracked tile? Leaky faucets? Get them fixed.

#3 Kill the Clutter

Eliminate the clutter in your home by at least half. This is very difficult but cannot be underestimated, people buy homes they can see themselves in not the owners before them. Expensive stores have a very tidy and clean layout while cheap stores have stuff everywhere, keep that in mind.

• This is a place where a professional stager can come in very handy.

#4 Blank Canvas

Neutral colors allow buyers to envision themselves as the owners easier. Again, you are selling them their house, not yours.

#5 De-personalize

Remove personal items that buyers won’t be able to identify with. For example, political and religious items may turn off whole groups of buyers because they cannot imagine your home as their home.

A few extra pointers:

The Entrance

Make your entryway as light and as bright as possible. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.

The Kitchen

Kitchens sell homes. The importance of making your kitchen appealing cannot be underestimated. Clean and de-clutter! If your cabinets are old consider resurfacing them. Facelifts can do wonders to a kitchen.

The Bathroom

Your bathroom should look like it is out of a catalog. Do not display any personal items. Get a set of new fluffy neutral towels and display them.

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.

There are many steps one can take to eliminate much of  the stress of selling a home. By prepping your house ahead of time you can be fully prepared. Get your home ready to sell with these five easy tips.

1. Take YOU out of the equation.
Get rid of your personal touches. Anything on display that you hold dear, box it. Chances are potential buyers are not you. Start by taking down all the adorable photos of your kids, especially off of the refrigerator. It really cleans up  the kitchen to have a refrigerator free of papers and photos.

2. Zero out the clutter.
It’s time to toss the stuff in the corners. This is a major step towards having a presentable listing, and you may even find a few things that you’ve been looking for. Throw away all that you can and donate the rest.

3. Make your home not just presentable but appealing.
When selling a home, appeal can’t be underestimated. Get your house ready to sell by cleaning up the outside. Create a look, your home has personality, make the reasons you bought it in the first place shine. As for the inside, buyers want a blank canvas.

4. Take care of any stinky situations.
Don’t try to disguise smells, just get rid of them. Have the carpet and furniture professionally cleaned. If you have cats, change the litter box everyday.

5. Start cleaning.
One of the most important things that you can do when selling a home is to thoroughly clean your house. Scrub the baseboards, moldings, and the blinds. Clean the carpets. Get your wood or tile floors to shine. Clean as if your mother-in-law is coming. Also, there is nothing wrong with getting a little help. Spending some money on a professional cleaning service can be well worth it. It will get the job done faster, and hopefully better, than if you did it by yourself.

A last and final tip: If you are considering selling your home, take an afternoon and go to a new home community. Walk through the model homes. Notice how spartan they are. Model homes are depersonalized, de-cluttered, and very clean. Aim for that same look for your own home when you’re looking to sell.

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.