One of the latest trends in customizing your home to make it more useful as well as more appealing to buyers is to have custom closets.

You may think that such a small area of your home would not be so vital, however if you analyze your closet I can guarantee you will be in for a surprise in how much stuff you keep in there! (In a similar fashion to your garage!) When we speak of custom closet design we aren’t just talking about wire racks and shelves, we are talking about matching furniture with the room and including custom fitted built in drawers and clothe racks and shelves.

After the trend initially started in the 80’s it has become more widespread and closet spaces have grown over recent years in new construction homes. A host of closet design companies have sprung up in the last two decades offering their own space saving, aesthetically pleasing designs to declutter and organize your closet space.

Despite being functional necessities in a property, closets are important in helping a home be organized and ensuring that stress levels are kept low - more clutter = higher stress levels!

There is a school of thought that a custom designed closet solution can increase the marketability of your home as well as increase its value by adding a luxurious addition to your homes design.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

If you thought that an open house was just part of the marketing plan when you are selling your home, you would be mistaken.

Apart from an opportunity to showcase your home it is the original “Reality Show” it gives potential buyers to imagine themselves living in your home - remember these tips when preparing your home for an open day!

An open house is not just a place for other Real Estate agents to bring their buyers but a chance for impulse buyers/drive by’s to stop and take a look. How often do you hear of people driving around certain neighborhoods wishing they lived there? Open houses snag these buyers! The Raines Group has held many open houses with much success.

Once you open your house up remember that you have to make sure that your open house date is marketed to your potential buyers!

If you are looking to purchase a property or sell a home in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

If you are in the custom home market then things are really looking up for you! Recently reported by Realty Times, A marked increase in pre-sold custom-built homes appears to be on the rise!

This is excellent news, with stability being the name of the game in Real Estate at the moment it is great to see that a market sector is on the rise. There are many reasons for this increase, the main one being that construction costs (lumber is at a 10 year low right now) have decreased making the prospect of owning a custom built property more affordable for many and as such demand has increased, not to mention the lower interest rates currently being offered making purchasing a home a really great deal at the moment.

Not to mention a marked increase in this market sector many custom home builders are seeing an interest in the $1,000,000 plus range!

With many homes in New Albany being custom properties it is no wonder that many are seeking to relocate to the village.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

Recently with the housing slowdown nationwide, town and city councils have slowed down the level of annexation of property in the region. Town planners now have more time to make decisions and ensure that there is better planning for projects.

For Columbus, this year it looks set to only annex around 100 acres whereas in previous years - even in 2003, 2133 acres were annexed that year. This year the largest annexation project will add 32.5 acres whereas last year the largest was 47 acres.

As reported in the Columbus Dispatch, urban sprawl and the suburbs are outdated ways of looking at development. With a slowdown in annexation, planners and utilities can take time to work together for more regional cohesion.

It is clear that the villages that surround Columbus are maintaining their unique identities and maintain their town planning so that the quality of life for its residents and for newcomers is kept up.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

Tis the season to be jolly - or so the tune goes!

Christmas is fast approaching and there is so much to see and do in New Albany! With such a diverse community which is so active it is no wonder that there is nearly something happening every day!

Thanks to the local news source, This Week News and their special Home for the Holidays online edition you can see day by day including Christmas Candlelighting’s and Holiday Tea. Also, from the website you can check out what is going on in other communities such as Gahanna and Dublin to name just a few! Also for the kids, they can send a message to Santa.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

After a nice period of pending home sales generally increasing nationwide, the National Association of Realtors predicts that the pending home sales index numbers should remain in the stable range - that wonderful area which everyone has been longing for, hopefully bringing confidence back to the markets.

For instance; The Pending Home Sales Index, in October, slipped 0.7 percent to 88.9 from an upwardly revised reading of 89.5 in September, and is 1.0 percent below October 2007 when it was 89.8. Showing a nice leveling out period.

This leveling out period followed a spike in numbers in August when mortgage conditions were first eased for borrowers. The US Treasury’s reaction to the credit crunch has helped show investors that there is capital there and that is just starting to be freed up. It is expected that Mortgage rates in 2009 will dip slightly to the mid 5’s and then hover around the low 6’s. Stability is definitely expected to be on the cards.

Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, expects growth in the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to contract through the first half of 2009, then stabilize and expand in latter part of the year – lifted by a home sales recovery. The estimates for existing home sales are as follows: Sales are forecast to total 4.96 million this year, and then increase to 5.19 million in 2009 and 5.55 million in 2010.

What is for sure is that with low rates and a great selection of property out there - now really is the best time to invest in a new home, second home or investment property.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

The community of Harrison Pond, Ohio is a great community of 450 homes containing a range of high end, gorgeous properties from $200,000 to $600,000.

Local Market data for Harrison Pond, New Albany, Ohio and the local real estate market has been released.

The Real Living Reports are a great way to find out more information on the activity of the local real estate market - including best buys in the neighborhood as well as recent sold listings showing the average price for the neighborhoods involved. Click here for the full report: New Albany Ohio Real Estate Report - Harrison Pond

For Harrison Pond, between 11.25/07 and 11/25/08 there have been a phenomenal 22 listings sold. When coupled with the statistics for The Lakes at Harrison Pond, the average sale price for the listings is a fantastic $328,207. All in all there was a total of 27 properties sold in both communities in that time, do not fear there are still a ton of great homes still available.

For more information on the community please see The Raines Group’s page on New Albany, Ohio and the surrounding area. Y ou can of course check out the Harrison Pond Webpage, for more information.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

The community of Hampsted Village in New Albany, Ohio is a great community of 625 homes containing a range of high end, gorgeous properties from $250,000 to $750,000.

Local Market data for Hampsted Village and the local real estate market has been released.

The Real Living Reports are a great way to find out more information on the activity of the local real estate market - including best buys in the neighborhood as well as recent sold listings showing the average price for the neighborhoods involved. Click here for the full report: New Albany Ohio Real Estate Real Living Report For Hampsted Village

For Hampsted Village between 5/25/08 and 11/25/08 there were 21 homes sold, if you include the 13 sold in nearby West Hampsted, the average price for the sold listings were a fantastic $328,437. All in all 34 homes were sold in this time which is a massive improvement over the same period the previous year where only 15 homes were sold. However, do not panic, there are still a ton of great homes still available.

For more information on the community please see The Raines Group’s page on New Albany, Ohio and the surrounding area.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

The gorgeous communities in New Albany, Ohio such as Lansdowne and New Albany Country Club’s “The Farms” are great developments for people to relocate to and raise a family. The Farms in particular is a high end community of gorgeous properties from $1 Million to $9 Million.

Local Market data for Lansdowne and the local real estate market has been released.

The Real Living Reports are a great way to find out more information on the activity of the local real estate market - including best buys in the neighborhood as well as recent sold listings showing the average price for the neighborhoods involved. Click here for the full report: New Albany Real Living Report - Lansdowne.

For Lansdowne, the Country Club. The Farms and The Reserve average prices for the period 5/25/08 and 11.25.08 have been $805,741 - a 1.7% increase over last years average price for the same period. All in all 47 properties were sold in this time and there are a ton of great homes still available.

For more information on the community please see The Raines Group’s page on New Albany, Ohio and the surrounding area.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417

The gorgeous community of Academy Ridge in Gahanna, Ohio, is ideally placed for people to relocate to and raise a family.

Local Market data for Academy Ridge, Gahanna and the local real estate market has been released.

The Real Living Reports are a great way to find out more information on the activity of the local real estate market - including best buys in the neighborhood as well as recent sold listings showing the average price for the neighborhoods involved. Click here for the full report: Academy Ridge Gahanna Real Estate Reports

For Academy Ridge, Big Walnut Creek, Crossing at McKenna Creek, Ravine at Blendon and Springbrook Farm the average price of a sold listing between 11/24/07 and 11/24/08 is $393,791. In Academy Ridge, 4 properties were sold in this time and there are a ton of great homes still available.

For more information on the community please see The Raines Group’s webpage dedicated to Academy Ridge the community.

If you are looking to purchase a property in New Albany Ohio or the surrounding area in Central Ohio such as Gahanna, Plain Township or New Albany itself, then please contact The Raines Group for professional Real Estate advice in the region. The Raines Group are more than happy to assist you in your real estate needs. Contact them today via their online contact form or by calling Sandy Raines on: 614-418-7417