One of my favorite events is coming to Columbus again January 17-22, 2011,  The 4th Restaurant Week Columbus.  Columbus and Central Ohio has a quite a variety of wonderful restaurants and this is a great opportunity to try a new restaurant or one of your favorites at a discounted price, while benefiting the Mid Ohio Food Bank at the same time!  Many of my favorite restaurants are participating in this special event, offering three course meals from $15-35 per person.

Eat Out and Feel Good About It!

Temporarily, put aside those New Year’s resolutions of losing weight to help out the local Columbus economy and charity!!  The theme for Restaurant Week Winter 2011 is Eat, Drink and Be Charitable.  Not only will you enjoy a delicious 3 course meal, you’ll be supporting the local restaurant industry and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank which will receive a $5,000 donation, on behalf of participating restaurants and (614) Magazine. This is the 4th Restaurant Week Columbus event.  The previous 3 events have generated nearly $1.5 million in sales for participating restaurants and over $20,000 being donated to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Restaurant Week Stimulates Columbus Economy

Forget government stimulus programs . . . .  eating out stimulates the local Columbus economy immediately.  Kent Peters of Black Creek Bistro says “When dining, 90% (of the sale) goes back to the immediate economy.” and “Eating locally keeps it in Columbus and supporting your own community.  Restaurant Week is all about Columbus and the local businesses.”

Restaurant Week Columbus “RWC” Sneak Peek Event

A RWC Sneak Peek event will also be held on Thursday, January 13, 2011, from 6-8pm at the new Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.  This event  features a first look at RWC menus and tastings of Trinchero wines, Columbus Brewing Company beers and Maker’s Mark cocktails.

Over 50 Restaurants Participate in RWC

There are over 50 restaurants participating in this 4th RWC event.  This event is so popular, they recommend reservations because restaurants may quickly book up. This is a great week to experience places you’ve been meaning to try. I’m excited because many of my favorite restaurants are participating.  Here’s list of restaurants participating in the 4th Restaurant Week Columbus:

Aab India - Indian Restaurant in Grandview
Basil - Asian Restaurant North Campus
Bel Lago Waterfront Bistro (Beautiful outdoor dining on the Hoover Resevoir in Westerville Ohio)
Black Creek Bistro - Olde Town East
BonVie - French Restaurant at Easton Town Center
Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill - Olentangy River Road by Lennox Shopping Center
Cabo Cocina - Southwest Fusion Restaurant in Dublin
Cameron’s American Bistro - Worthington
Cimi’s Bistro - at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City
Columbus Brewing Company in German Village
Columbus Fish Market - Seafood Restaurant in North Columbus and Worthington Ohio
Figlio -Italian Restaurant on the Strip in Grandview
Flatiron Bar & Diner - Downtown Columbus
Giorgio Italian Restaurant - Clintonville
Haiku - Japanese Restaurant in Short North Arts District
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in the Short North Arts District, Dublin, Worthington and North Columbus
J. Gilbert’s Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood - Worthington
Kogen’s Asian Cuisine & Sushi on Sawmill Parkway in Powell
LaFogata - Mexican Restaurant in Short North area
Latitude 41 - Downtown Columbus
Lemongrass Fusion Bistro - Short North
Level Dining Lounge - Modern American Restaurant in the Short North Arts District
Lindeys - Upscale Restaurant in German Village
Luce Enoteca - Powell
M - Downtown in Miranova overlooking Scioto River
Martini Modern Italian - Short North
Matt The Millers Tavern - in Muirfield - Dublin Ohio
Mezzo Italian Kitchen and Wine - Italian Restaurant at Creekside in Gahanna
Michael O’Toole’s - Nationwide Arena District
Mitchell’s Steakhouse - in Worthington and Downtown Columbus
Moretti’s of Arlington - Family Owned Italian Restaurant in Upper Arlington
Mortons Steakhouse in Downtown Columbus
Oscars Restaurant & Bar - Dublin
Polaris Grill
Refectory - Bethel Road in Northwest Columbus
Rigsby’s Kitchen - Short North
Rosendales Modern Bistro - Upscale Restaurant in Short North Arts District
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Worthington Ohio
Sage American Bistro - Contemporary cuisine on the Ohio State University Campus
Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse - at Easton Town Center
Spagio - Italian Restaurant in Grandview
Sushi Rock - Short North
The Clarmont - German Village
The Melting Post - Fondue Restaurant at Easton Town Center
The Olde Mohawk - German Village
The River Club - Waterfront dining overlooking Downtown Columbus
The Rossi - Bar and Kitchen in the Short North Arts District
The Top Steakhouse - East Columbus
Trattoria Roma - Italian Restaurant in Grandview
Tucci’s - California Bistro in Downtown Dublin
Vino Vino Restaurant & Winebar - Grandview
Vittoria Ristorante - Italian Restaurant in Powell Ohio
Vonn Jazz - Worthington
Worthington Inn - High Street in Downtown Worthington

I hope you take the opportunity to try one of these wonderful restaurants during Restaurant Week Columbus and support our local restaurants and the Mid Ohio Food Bank.  To learn more and view the specially priced menus visit:  http://www.restaurantweekcolumbus.com/

The German Village Society is hosting a  Safety and Community Wellness Day at the GVS Meeting Haus, located at 588 South 3rd Street, Columbus, Ohio 43206 on Saturday October 16th from 10am-2pm.

The Columbus Police Department will be on hand to help educate people on how to properly identify your belongings in the event of theft, secure your home and surroundings, and use appropriate outdoor lighting to name a few. The CPD will have a special UV pen to mark your belongings on site.

Also there will be a representative from a weapon safety company to sell self defense products and German Village Society Business Member, Alarm One, to educate you about all of your alarm questions.

Capital Nursing Students will be on site to provide our community with information about heart disease and take blood pressures for screenings.
If you have any further questions please contact GVS Board of Trustee and Civic Relations Chair, Crystal Seamon, at crystalseamon@gmail.com

Unique German Village Real Estate Property

238 E. Whittier Street, Columbus, Ohio 43206, is a unique German Village real estate listing, including 2 homes, with great space, on one lot.  Live in one home and rent out the 2nd home for investment property income or use as an in law or teen suite, office space, etc. Convenient location - close to Barcelona Restaurant, Giant Eagle Grocery Store, Schiller Park and more. Both homes are listed for sale at only $224,900.  Don’t miss this rare opportunity!

***RECENT SOLD AT 95% OF THE LIST PRICE***

FRONT HOME

The front home is a brick 2 story home with 1332 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a spacious living room with stone fireplace, formal dining room, finished basement and a huge front porch to relax on.

2ND HOME

In the back is the original circa late 1800’s 2 story home with 1257 square feet,  2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, finished 3rd floor attic for extra living space, large living and dining rooms.  This 2nd home is ideal as a German Village investment rental property, home office, mother in law/student suite, etc.

Most German Village investment properties are a duplex or multi-family style, with shared interior walls where you typically can hear all the noise through the walls.  If you’re looking for a double in German Village, to live in one side and rent the other, this property is ideal because you won’t have to share walls, which will give you more privacy.

OFF STREET PARKING - 2 CAR CARPORT

You’ll enjoy entertaining on the large private brick patio out back, plus there’s a shed for storage. The 2 car carport provides off street parking, which is a great plus for German Village considering many investment properties only offer on street parking.

238 E. Whittier is an Estate Sale - Being Sold AS IS - WHERE IS

Since 238 E. Whittier is being sold in an estate, the seller has never lived in the property, has no knowledge of it’s condition and is not required to provide property disclosure forms.  So the property is being sold AS IS - WHERE IS.  The buyer has the right to perform a home inspection, after contract acceptance, but please be aware that seller will not be making any repairs.

Pictures and more details of 238 E. Whittier Street

For more details, pictures and the visual tour visit:  www.columbuscastles.com/petras-featured-homes/featured?id=2100252

To learn more about the German Village Ohio real estate market, schools and community visit: www.columbuscastles.com/communities_german_village

238 E. Whittier Street, in German Village is also on the Columbus Ohio MLS

When searching for German Village real estate listings using the online Columbus Ohio MLS (Multiple Listing Service), searches offered on the internet, you can find 238 E. Whittier Street, Columbus Ohio 43206 ( German Village zip code)  by MLS number 210025204.

Search all real estate listings in German Village and throughout Central Ohio using Petra’s FREE Columbus MLS Search:

ColumbusCastles.com/search-columbus-mls

America’s oldest German club, The Mannerchor in German Village (just South of Downtown Columbus Ohio) is holding it’s annual Oktoberfest October 2 and 3, this weekend (Friday and Saturday), at 966 South High Street.  The Mannerchor German Club, established in 1848, will present German music and folk dancing, as well as a full Oktoberfest menu including typical German favorites like bratwurst, cabbage & noodles, sauerkraut & pork, potato pancakes, red cabbage, sauerkraut balls, German potato salad and more .

Gates open Friday, October 2nd, at 5:30 pm.  The parade of flags and the tapping of the keg commence at 6.  Admission is just $6 each, and there’s plenty of free, on-site parking.  For more information, visit www.maennerchor.com.

To learn more about German Village visit:  columbuscastles.com/communities_german_village

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!

This is a buyer’s market right?  The media keeps publicizing how bad the real estate market is all over the US.  So how is it possible that I have come across 4 multiple offer situations in the last month here in Columbus Ohio?  Let me share a little more about each scenario to give you a better idea of what the real estate market is really doing here in the Columbus Ohio area. 

Client number 1:  I’m working with a couple who just recently sold their home in Indiana and are now ready to buy their next home in the Columbus Ohio area.  They love older vintage style homes with lots of character, charm and hardwood floors in walking type communities.  The husband is a resident at Mount Carmel and Saint Ann’s Hospitals.  The wife will be going to OSU to complete the Internal Medicine program.  So they wanted areas convenient to Downtown, OSU and Westerville.   They decided to look for older homes in the Bexley, Clintonville, German Village and Worthington areas. 

We had found a home in Clintonville that they just loved and were ready to make an offer on when it went into contract.  There was one other home in Clintonville and 2 homes in Bexley that they also liked and all three went into contract at the same time.  All of these homes had been on the market for less than 2 weeks.  Even though there is plenty more on the market, most of the other homes are not nearly as nice so they decided to just wait until something new came on the market.  Three days ago a new real estate listing came on the market in Bexley and we went to see it right away.  It was the perfect home for them so we made an offer right away before anyone else had a chance!  They are now very happy to be in contract on this cute cape cod home in Bexley!  

Client number 2:  I’m working with another couple who have their current home in contract and has to move by the end of July (I’m selling their current home in the OSU/Upper Arlington/Riverside Hospital area).  The husband works at Chase in the Polaris/Lewis Center area and the wife works in Westerville.  They are also very active in their church which is located just North of the OSU Campus area so they wanted to buy a home somewhere in between these areas.  We have been looking for homes in the Clintonville, Worthington and Westerville areas. They’re expecting their 2nd child, so modern day conveniences like a finished basement, 1st floor den and 2 car attached garage are important to them.  

They quickly realized you can get a much nicer home for the money in some well established neighborhoods in Westerville.  We found their ideal home in Westerville last Saturday.  We went back on Monday to see it a 2nd time and were ready to make an offer on it and found out they already had another offer that they were ready to accept.  So we quickly made our best offer on this home too, but the seller decided to take the other one because it came in first.  This home had been on the market for less than 2 weeks.

Client number 2 again:  Okay - I mentioned that I’m also selling their home which is located in the Cranford Subdivision in Northwest Columbus (Upper Arlington, OSU and Riverside Hospital area).  Here’s a link to that Northwest Columbus Ranch Home.  I always try to provide staging and home preparation advice to my clients who want to sell their home because I know that homes in the best condition sell quicker and for more money.  So this client took the time to properly prepare their home for the market.  This particular area of Columbus is very popular due to it’s convenient location, on the edge of Upper Arlington, plus it’sclose to OSU and Riverside Hospital.  In addition, you can get to Downtown Columbus in about 10 minutes.  However, I’ve still seen some homes sit on the market a while in this area, when they are not properly prepared. 

Since this home was properly prepared for the market, we experienced lots of showings.  After about 2 weeks on the market, we received an offer from someone who is planning to go to graduate school at the Ohio State University (OSU).  We had started negotiating with this client when a 2nd offer came in.  The sellers had to decide which offer they wanted to take and decided to stay with the first buyer because they agreed to take the home as is.  This was appealing to the seller because they are ready to move on to their next home and don’t want to bother with any more repairs on their current home.  

Client number 3:  I’m working with another couple who are first time home buyers.  The husband works in Downtown Columbus and the wife works in the Worthington area.  So they’re looking for homes in Worthington, Dublin, Westerville and Gahanna areas.  They have some pretty specific needs in their first home - a fenced in yard for their dog and some separate living space for her Dad who is planning to move in with them.  So we found a cute ranch home in Gahanna that offered a nice large basement that they planned on finishing for a mother in law type suite for her Dad. Only problem, 2 other people wanted the same home at the same time.  That’s right - this home had 3 offers at the same time.  Unfortunately, our offer was not the chosen one.  My clients offered the most they could afford and that obviously wasn’t enough. 

In October of 2007, Forbes ranked the Columbus Ohio real estate market the 3rd most stable in the US.  I find that homes are still selling well in many areas of Central Ohio.  I think the key in the three homes in Bexley, Clintonville and Westerville mentioned above, is the homes went into contract quickly because they were all in good condition, properly prepared/staged and priced right for the current market.  I always say that homes in the best condition will sell more quickly and for more money.  Visit http://www.columbuscastles.com/sellers, to learn more.

There are some areas of Columbus and some Central Ohio suburbs that are not selling as quick, but that certainly is not the case everywhere.  Some of the areas that are struggeling the most are areas with newer homes that were developed too quickly.  Also in some of those newer developments, builders are still building.  So it’s very challenging to try and sell your home and compete against the builder’s buyer financing incentives.

Overall, you’ll find the Columbus Ohio real estate market to be doing much better than many other parts of the US and even other areas in Ohio.  If you’re interested in buying or selling a home, I’d love to work for you.  Please CONTACT PETRA at 614-895-0496 anytime from 8am-10pm EST for personal assistance with your Columbus Ohio real estate needs.