Morrow County, Ohio Real Estate

Mount Gilead Homeowner Saves $400 On Property Taxes!  That's right and so can homeowners in Cardington, Marengo, Edison, Chesterville, Sparta, Johnsville, or any other Ohio city for that matter.

If you (or anyone you know) is at least 65 years old OR permanently and totally disabled, then that person (assuming they're a homeowner) can qualify for the modified, expanded Ohio Homestead Exemption.  By applying for this Ohio Homestead Exemption (application form here) and submitting it to your County Auditor's Office, you can receive a 25% reduction (credit) on your property tax bill!

This is not your Father's Homestead exemption where you probably wouldn't have qualified based on some income limits that they had set.  This new and revised exemption is available to ALL Ohio homeowners 65 and older or permanently and totally disabled.

To find out more and read all the FAQ's, follow this link to the Ohio Dept of Taxation web site.  My point is this:  Even if YOU would not qualify based on your age, tell your parents, aunts/uncles, friends at church, ANYBODY who is over 65 so they might save a few hundred dollars this year!

September 09 Homes Sales in Morrow County, Ohio

September 09 Home Sales in Morrow County, Ohio were down from the previous month and you can see a complete, detailed report by clicking September 09 Morrow County Solds.  This report will show address, picture, size, acreage, comments, sale price, days on market, and more.

The $8000 First Time Homebuyers tax credit has most likely helped to bring some of these buyers to the table, yet the number of homes sold has dropped off drastically from the typical average number of about 20 homes sold per month.

There are currently 157 homes on the market in Morrow County with an average list price of $173,749 and these homes have been on the market an average of 124 days.

Although the number of homes SOLD during the month of September was down to 8 units, it is reassuring to note that as of today (Oct 12) there are 25 homes that are "In Contract", that is, the buyers and sellers have agreed on price and terms and they are working toward closing by satisfying inspection or financing contingencies. 

So it's entirely feasible that October will turn out to be a stellar sales month with the number of total units sold well over 25 homes.

To get more information on the present real estate market in Morrow County, call Herb now at 419-947-4004.  To find homes for sale in Morrow and surrounding counties, visit www.herbsells.com

Mount Gilead, OHIO To Host RE/MAX Balloon.  That's right, once again, on October 17, 2009, the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon will be in Mount Gilead, Ohio and you can ride in it!

Again this year, the agents of RE/MAX Genesis will be hosting their annual United Way Fundraiser.  The party will be held on the grounds of the local RE/MAX office located at 745 W. Marion Road in Mount Gilead, Ohio and the public is invited to attend.  There will be free hot dogs and bratwurst sandwiches, along with other yummy snacks and the United Way Agencies of Morrow County will be hosting games for the little ones.  We'll have a cornhole tournament, live (and DJ) music, a bonfire to roast your marshmallows and of couse the RE/MAX balloon.  You'll be able to ride (tethered) to about 100 feet and your $5 donation will be for the benefit of United Way of Morrow County.

In addition, folks will have an opportunity to throw a pie in the face of their choice of; Mayor Mike Porter, Morrow County Commissioner Tom Harden, First Knox National Bank Manager Erin Kelty, or RE/MAX Genesis Realtor Patti Jackson.  All monies received for the day from rides, games, cornhole, or balloon rides will all be donated 100% to United Way of Morrow County.

Take a look at the video above that shows the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon in Chicagoland. 

Ranch Home In Cardington, Ohio $119,900. This is what so many of you have been waiting for! Located at 4518 County Road 134, Cardington in central Morrow County, this is a clean and affordable ranch home on a large lot in the country with easy access to St Rt 529 (if you're headed to Marion) or St Rt 42 (if you're headed to Delaware or Columbus).

Ranch Home In Cardington Virtual Tour

This Cardington, Ohio area home offers 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, living room, dining room AND a nice large family room with a gas log fireplace and sliding glass door to a small covered deck with steps down to the rear patio. The two car attached garage is spotless and the built-in workbench and cabinets stay. The full basement is clean, dry, and well lit and offers plenty of storage area.

See more photos and a Virtual Tour of this Cardington, Ohio Ranch Home
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Morrow County is a great place to live! Only thirty minutes north of Columbus Ohio, Morrow County offers residents four great school systems, a fantastic public golf course, a beautiful State Park, community recreation centers with ball diamonds, tennis courts and swimming pools, churches of all denominations, and a very peaceful, rural, "small town" atmosphere. Find out more about Morrow County and all that it has to offer! 

Strategically located in the heart of Ohio, Morrow County lies between the industrial complex in the northwestern part of the state and the metropolitan are of Columbus. The county was formed in 1848 from parts of Richland, Marion, Delaware and Knox counties. It includes slightly more than a quarter of million acres of land area. 

The estimated 1997 population of the county was 31,080. Morrow is one of the most rural counties of Ohio. Nearly 6,260 people live in the seven incorporated villages of Mt. Gilead, Cardington, Edison, Marengo, Fulton, Chesterville and Sparta. 

The county lies astride the line dividing the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and the prairie lands of the Midwest. The western one-third of the county is level, while the eastern two-thirds is gently rolling. 

The economy of Morrow County represents a fine balance between agriculture, industry and commerce. Income from the 880 farms amounts to over forty million dollars per year. Because of the rapid technological changes in agriculture, about 60 percent of the farm operations hold jobs off the farms. 

The Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Company is the leading industry in the county. HPM is a manufacturer of injection molding machines, extrusions systems and die casting equipment for the plastic and metal markets. Stahl, A Scott Fetzer Company with headquarters in Wooster, manufactures specialized truck bodies in Cardngton. The Cosmos Plastics Company is a plastic injection-molding manufacturer and is located at Delaware and Lee Streets, Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Core Systems, Inc. is a plastic injection-molding manufacturer and is located at Douglas Street, Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Edco Producing, Inc., located in Mt. Gilead, is an oil, gas drilling and producing company serving throughout Ohio. Earthworm Construction Company, Inc. in Iberia performs asphalt paving in Morrow and surrounding counties. Levering Bros. Heating and Cooling Inc., and their Plumbery Home Center, located north of Cardington on U.S. 42, are professionals in the electric, plumbing, heating and air conditioning field. They are the largest firm of this kind in the area.

Cardington Yakata Technologies, Inc., located in Cardington, manufactures catalytic and torque converters and oil pans for the automotive industry. Gerich Fiberglass, located on U.S. 42, manufactures fibercore trailers and kiosks. Transportation facilities in Morrow County are excellent. In addition to adequate railroad service, the county is served by a network of important highways. Two interchanges of Interstate 71, known as the north-south Ohio freeway are located in the county. Routes 42, 61, 95, 229 and 30-S are important links in the transportation facilities of the county. Also available is an airstrip located between Mt. Gilead, and Cardington. The Mt. Gilead State Lake is located just East of Mt. Gilead with camping and recreational facilities.
 

I never developed this blog as a platform from which to preach my political opinions (or anyone else's for that matter), but it IS about Morrow County, Ohio and the people, businesses and points of interest.  The purpose of this blog is to provide a platform where prospective residents from outside Morrow County can come and find out a little about us and our neighborhoods.

To that end, I publish these pix.  Kathy and I were at dinner last night (our date night for 35 years now) and the last few years we typically go out with Kim and Mike along with Dick and Della and more recently Mark and Cindy have been joining us.  The picture to the left is the gang at House of Hunan in Marion a few weeks ago.  You can see my review of House of Hunan by clicking here

Well anyway, last night Mike and Kim picked us up and we headed over to Marion because Kim needed to stop into Odd Lots afterward.  When we got in the car, Mike proudly removed from his pocket this picture of he and President Barack Obama standing next to each other.  This is not trick photography!  A few weeks ago, when President Obama came to Cleveland, Mike was invited to attend and was given one of the VIP seats, being both the Mayor of Mount Gilead and also a strong Democrat and supporter of President Obama.  Mike tells us the President's visit was held in a school in the Cleveland area and after the public meeting ended, the President's aides invited some of the "local" politicians and supporters into classrooms so that these small groups could then meet with and talk with the President.  Pretty cool, eh?

Your real estate agent has just brought you an offer on your home, and you want to think about it. You would like your agent to contact the other people who have shown an interest in your home. Whether your home has been listed for three days or three months, there is always a desire to hold out for a better offer, and I understand how sellers can feel considerable resistance to making a decision quickly.

Some buyers will include in the offer a deadline for getting a response, but the seller should respond to an offer quickly even if a deadline is not specified.

The interval between when an offer is submitted and when a response is made is a crucial period because the buyers are free to withdraw from the transaction during this time. Even though they are mentally landscaping your yard and arranging their things in your rooms, they may also be afraid that they will get the house, and are, therefore, extremely vulnerable to buyers' remorse.

Remember the old saying "Bird in hand is better than two in the bush".  Having a buyer in this market who is "ready, willing, and able" is something worth hanging on to.  Don't be penny wise and pound foolish by dragging your feet on a response to a serious buyer.

Why is it that so many homeowners wait until they are ready to put their home on the market before painting, planting flowers, and making other improvements to their homes?

After completing these improvements, they're often so delighted with the results that they wish they had done the work on their home sooner in order to enjoy the changes.

This is my point:
Whether you have recently purchased a home or have been settled in your home for several years, you should consider evaluating the condition of your house as if you planned to sell it soon. Maximize your home's "curb appeal" now, so that you will reap the benefits every time you pull into your driveway.

Plant those flowers and bulbs and you will have your fresh flowers on your own dining room table. Add new window treatments to freshen the appearance of the main rooms. If your house needs an upgraded kitchen, go ahead with the renovation. You will enhance your whole neighborhood and experience the pleasure of living in a more beautiful and fully functional home.

I tell my new first-time home buyers to make sure they "take care" of their new home.  I go on to tell them to make sure they perform seasonal and annual maintenance.  By replacing the furnace filter, cleaning the gutters, washing the screens, painting exterior surfaces as needed, and so on they will see what other areas need attention. 

By performing routine maintenance, more serious (and more costly) problems are less likely to pop up unexpectedly.

You don't have to make major investments like adding a new bathroom or family room in order to protect the value of your home.  You just have to take care of it like a classic car.