2009 COLUMBUS AND CENTRAL OHIO SUBURB BEGGAR’S NIGHT AND TRICK OR TREAT DATES:

If you live in or around the Columbus Ohio area, I’m providing the dates for 2009 Beggars Night or Trick or Treat in Columbus and all the surrounding suburbs. Halloween is a fun time of year for many kids in Central Ohio.  I know my son always looks forward to Trick or Treating to stock up on his favorite candy (since we don’t buy any candy in our home).

Since Halloween, October 31, 2009, falls on a Saturday this year, you’ll find Columbus and many central Ohio communities have scheduled beggars night/trick or treating, for October 29 instead.

Franklin County Trick or Treat Dates

• Bexley: 5:30-7:30 pm - Oct. 29
• Columbus: 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Canal Winchester: 5:30-7:30 pm - Oct. 29
• Dublin: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29
• Gahanna: 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Grandview Heights:  6-8pm - Oct. 31
• Grove City: 6-8pm Oct. 29
• Groveport: 5:30-7 pm - Oct. 29
• Hilliard: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29
• Jefferson Township (Gahanna): 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Village of Lockbourne: 6-7:30 pm - Oct. 29
• Madison Township: 5:30-7 pm - Oct. 29
• New Albany: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29
• Reynoldsburg: 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Upper Arlington: 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Westerville: 6-8pm - Oct. 31
• Whitehall: 6-8pm - Oct. 29
• Worthington: 6-8pm - Oct. 29

Delaware County Trick or Treat Dates

• Galena: 6-7:15 p.m. - Oct. 31
• Genoa Township (Westerville) 6-8 pm - Oct. 31
• Lewis Center: 6-8pm - Oct. 31
• Orange Township: 6-8pm - Oct. 31
• Powell: 6-8pm - Oct. 31

Fairfield County Trick or Treat Dates

• Lithopolis: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29
• Pickerington: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29

Licking County Trick or Treat Dates

• Granville: 5:30-7 pm - Oct. 29
• Pataskala: 6-8 pm - Oct. 29

I hope you have found this information helpful for planning your Halloween activities in the Columbus area.  If you see any mistakes or want to add to this list, please contact Petra with information.   Happy Halloween!

I was out showing homes in the Gahanna yesterday and found some really great deals on Gahanna Ohio Real estate.  I have a client relocating to the Columbus Ohio area from Chicago suburbia and they are looking for a newer home with upscale finishes, on a larger lot.  I showed them homes in the Jefferson Township area, which is technically Blacklick Ohio 43004 -  but it’s in the Gahanna Schools District.

Jefferson Township in Blacklick Ohio is a very desirable area to live for many reasons:

• Highly rated Gahanna Schools
• Easton Town Center - shoppers paradise is within 10 minutes
• Port Columbus International Airport is about 15 minutes away
• Convenient freeway access to I-270 and I-670
• Jefferson Country Club offers golfing, swim, tennis and fitness facilities
• Prestigious Columbus Academy K-12 private school nearby

The Jefferson Township area in Blacklick Ohio, offers city conveniences in a country atmosphere.  Jefferson Township is located in Blacklick Ohio, on the Eastern edge of Franklin County in the Gahanna Schools District.  There are some beautiful upscale neighborhoods in Jefferson Township, that offer all the amenities of a typical suburb development, but with larger lots, in a more rural setting.  You’ll find a variety of homes and estates on acreage including horse and llama farms.

Some of the neighborhoods in the Jefferson Township area with Gahanna Schools, that I showed homes in today include:  Jefferson Meadows, Woods at Havens Run, Stepping Stone and the Village at Hannah Farms.

Jefferson Meadows is a beautiful golf course community with a variety of unique, custom built homes ranging in price from around $340,000 to over $1 Million.  You’ll even find some homes that look like mini castles!  New homes construction in Jefferson meadows started in the early 1990’s and is mostly complete,  but a few lots remain with some new homes currently being built.   The Villas at Jefferson Meadows offers newer and spacious upscale condos built around 2000, ranging in price from $250,000 to  around $400,000.   Jefferson Village is a gated community, within the Jefferson Meadows subdivision, offering upscale detached condos built around 2001 to the present with prices ranging from around $350,000 to over $400,000.

Stepping Stone is a very unique Equestrian community nestled in the rolling hillside of Jefferson Township.  This unique community features an equestrian Center to board your horse, miles of bridle paths winding through woods and beautiful heavily treed lots.  Stepping Stone offers a variety of custom built homes including some with French Country style architecture and finishes, walk out basements and waterfront lots. Homes range in price from around $450,000 to well over $500,000.   Homes in Stepping Stone started being built in the late 1990’s and while it is considered an established community, there are still some undeveloped lots available.

The Village at Hannah Farms is a beautiful extensively landscaped new home development in Gahanna Ohio.  Hannah Farms is situated among mature trees and a 31 acre park with up to 60 custom homes being built on larger lots.  Hannah Farms offers plenty of open space with two wetland reserve areas and a leisure path that connects to  Hannah Farms Park.  The Village at Hannah Farms was the site of the 2008 Columbus Ohio Parade of Homes, presented by the Central Ohio BIA (Builders Industry Association), with new home construction starting in 2008.

While the economy has definitely slowed down the rate of new homes being built in Hannah Farms, this community is still pretty well established.  There are still plenty of lots to build on, including some premium treed lots.  Being a Parade of Homes community, the prices really vary in the Village at Hannah Farms.  Homes currently available, range in price from around $400,000 to almost $600,000.  Talk about a great deal  . . . . there’s a home that was originally listed for $638,000 and just sold in January of 2009 for $515,000!  We saw new build inventory spec homes discounted by $70,000 - $80,000.  While this much of a discount isn’t the norm, there are plenty of new build spec or inventory homes offering deep discounts.  Builders are very motivated to sell their homes right now, so if you’re looking for a new build, this is a great time to take advantage of the bargain prices.

The Village at Hannah Farms is located within the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools System.  The current assigned district schools are listed below:

High Point Elementary: 700 Venetian Way, Gahanna, OH            614-478-5545
Gahanna Middle School East: 730 Clotts Road, Gahanna, OH      614-478-5550
Gahanna Lincoln High School: 140 S. Hamilton Road, Gahanna, OH      614-478-5500

While Jefferson Township and Gahanna is a a very desirable area to live, there are less buyers looking to buy upscale homes in Central Ohio these days.  Consequently, prices have declined greatly.  One of my clients favorite homes was priced just under $500,000, but the sellers originally paid $673,000 in 2006.  That’s almost $200,000 in value lost.  There are several new build inventory homes discounted by more than $50,000.  While this much of a decline isn’t necessarily the norm - it just shows that there are definitely some really good deals to take advantage of right now.  It seems the newer built homes have been the hardest hit with declining values.

The Woods at Havens Run is a luxury new home community in Blacklick Ohio with Gahanna Schools, being developed by Romanelli and Hughes and Truberrry Group Custom Home Builders.  Both Romanelli and Hughes and Truberry Group Home Builders have been in the Columbus new home construction business for many years and have developed an excellent reputation for quality built homes.  Woods at Haven’s Run contains 28 large lots surrounded by nature and provides the perfect setting for single family homes.  Currently there are only a handful of homes built so there are still plenty of great lots to buid on, some backing to woods and mature trees.  We saw three new build inventory spec homes, including 2 model homes for sale, with prices ranging from around $550,000 to just under $600,000.  The builder seems to be very motivated to sell these homes and has aggressively reduced the prices down from $630,000.

As a Realtor® with Remax Connection Realtors in Gahanna, I have sold many homes and condos in the Gahanna area over the years.  So I am quite familiar with the Gahanna real estate market and prices homes are selling for in Gahanna and Blacklick.  My office is located in Olde Gahanna at 130 Mill Street, 43230.

If you are interested in buying or building a home or condo in the Gahanna area, please CONTACT PETRA at 614-895-0496 to get started.  As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent, I have the experience the represent your best interest and negotiate the best deal ALL AT NO COST TO YOU.

To learn more about Gahanna Real Estate, schools and community info visit:  ColumbusCastles.com/Gahanna Real Estate

Following is my latest Gahanna real estate success story.  The Columbus Ohio real estate market is really picking up. I have been showing condos to a first time home buyer in the Dublin and Worthington areas and we have had several go in contract before he could even make an offer on one and are now in a multiple offer situation on a Dublin condo.  I have another buyer looking in Clintonville and a few homes have gone into contract before we could make an offer on them.  I just saw a home in Grandview priced under $200,000, go into contract practically the same day it came on the market.  So there are many areas in Columbus and the Central Ohio suburbs where real estate is selling quickly.  The key is the properties that are selling quickly are properly prepared and priced for the current buyer’s market.  Foreclosures and short sales also remain popular with those buyers who are looking for a bargain and are okay with making repairs and taking the associated risk with purchasing those types of homes.

If you’re thinking about selling your home and buying another, this is a great time to take advantage of the increased market activity.  While it is still a buyer’s market in the Columbus Ohio area, prices are still low and mortgage interest rates are historically low as well.  As I have been saying for a while, you may make a little less on selling your home, but you’ll make up for it in what you buy, if you’re planning to move up.

Here’s the Gahanna real estate success story from Al and Tawny Whicker.  “In December of 2008, motivated by the low rates and falling house prices, we contacted Petra, Realtor with Remax Connection Realtors in Gahanna Ohio,  to ask if selling our Gahanna home of 10 years to step up to a bigger one was possible. She helped every step of the way. From recommending things we could do to make our home more appealing to buyers, to carefully pricing it and marketing it, she made the process much easier than it could have been.

What really blew us away was Petra’s marketing. She took fantastic pictures of the house, designed a beautiful flyer, created a virtual online tour with narration, and listed us on many web sites. The exposure was tremendous. In fact, as we searched the listings for our next home, it really showed how much better ours was marketed than most.

When it came to buying, Petra patiently listened, worked with our schedule, and took us to any home we wanted to see. She gave great input on pluses and minuses for each, including many things we wouldn’t have thought of, like future resale value.

In less than two months from listing, our home in Gahanna, we got an offer. Petra made sure the contract stipulated an extra week of possession after closing so we could have time to prepare our next home and move. There were no ideal homes on the listings for us that day, but one popped up the next day and we thought it would be perfect. That afternoon Petra met us there, and we were hooked at the front door. By the next day we had our offer accepted and were in contract to both sell the old house and buy our new home in Gahanna.

Petra was helpful and proactive every step of the way. We couldn’t have picked a better realtor, and are immensely thankful for Petra’s work and can-do attitude that made the whole process much easier than we expected. Thanks, Petra! We whole-heartedly recommend you for anyone buying or selling!”  Al and Tawny Whicker, proud Gahanna home owners!

I pride myself on providing the best marketing possible, for my listings.  You can view more on this recent Gahanna home sale at 414 Barwood Drive in Gahanna, Ohio 43230 and see the video on youtube below:

If you’re thinking about selling your Gahanna home, condo or real estate anywhere in Columbus and Central Ohio, I would love the opportunity to help you.  To learn more about the marketing and services I provide for selling your home in the Columbus Ohio area, please visit:  www.columbuscastles.com/sellers

Plus, if you are planning to sell your home and buy another home in the Central Ohio area, I offer special savings on the listing commission.   If you sell your current home and buy your next home with me as your buyer’s agent too, you’ll receive a 1% discount on the listing commission to sell your home in the Columbus Ohio area.  While there are some flat rate and discount mls services and for sale by owner MLS services who offer to sell Columbus Ohio real estate at a discount, you won’t receive near the level of marketing and service that I provide.  The extensive online marketing I provide really does make a difference in what you can make, when selling your home and I invite you to compare the services I provide when selling Columbus Ohio real estate to learn more.

Please call me at 614-895-0496 or complete visit:  http://www.columbuscastles.com/sellers_worth to get started.

I look forward to serving all your Gahanna and Columbus Ohio real estate needs!

Petra Hinterschied, Realtor with Remax Connection Realtors, 130 Mill Street, Gahanna, Ohio 43230, licensed since 2001 with over $46 million in Columbus Ohio real estate sales.