Author Archives: Sibcy Cline Realtors

Selling Your Home? Paint Tips to Help Get Your Home Ready!

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Tips on painting rooms in your home

Getting your home “market ready” is an important step to make it stand out among other available homes for sale. Here are painting tips to make your home look its best:

Touch Ups
Take a tour of your home and make note of the walls and trim areas that need to be touched up inside and out. A few neglected spots might be a signal to potential buyers that the home is not well maintained.

Are Your Colors Neutral?
If your painted walls are in good condition, you will also need to access whether the color is appealing to the masses. Although you may have enjoyed an expressive color, the person moving into your home may not. It is best to neutralize those “avant-garde” colors. A DIY repainted room usually costs under $100.

Exterior Paint
Go conservative with color. White and neutral colors are the safest choices as these colors will appeal to the largest number of buyers. Make a buyer’s first impression positive!

Select Your Paint Carefully
A high-quality acrylic latex paint can last for 10+ years and offers prospective buyers a “no maintenance” situation when moving into your home. Less work for them might mean a faster sale for you.

Prepare and Know Your Surface
Taking the time to properly preparing your surface before painting will result in a quality finish and thus impress buyers. Make sure you understand what type of paint your surface requires before you paint!

If DIY is not your thing, contact Sibcy Cline Home Services. They can recommend local painters to help you out.

Earth Day Should Be Every Day in Your Home!

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GreenHouse
Enjoy your home while being green. Here are some tips to help you be environmentally friendly around your home:

1. Cut down on consumables and recycle whenever you can. The U.S. generates 208 million tons of waste each year — that’s four pounds per person daily.

2. Are your appliances green? Using an Energy Star refrigerator can save you up to $150 per year (according to the Environmental Protection Agency). Your refrigerator is one of the largest sources of energy consumption. If it is 10+ years old, think about replacing it.

3. Monitor the temperature in your home. Turn down the thermostat in colder weather and turn it up during warmer times. Each degree below 68 degrees F during winter will save you 3-5% more heating energy. If you keep your thermostat at 78 F degrees F in the summer, this will also result in savings.

4. Save water! Use low-flow toilets. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. Use a broom in lieu of the garden hose when cleaning the driveway. Install a low-flow shower head and take shorter showers. Use a faucet aerator on each faucet. (This inexpensive device conserves heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.)

5. Clean green. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Or use simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and borax. The book, Clean and Green, has recipes for using such products.

6. Lights everyone! Use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CLFs) and you expend 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb. And, CLFs last 10 times longer! Replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a 32-watt CFL can save $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

7. Use less paper. Purchase “tree free” 100% post-consumer recycled paper for your greetings and toilet paper.

8. Paper nor plastic. Carry your own cloth bags to the store to avoid using plastic or paper store bags.

9. Turn off the “energy vampires!’ Us a power strip surge protector and flip off the switch to control the draining power of your appliances.

10. Skip the water bottle habit. Stop purchasing bottled water and purify your tap water. Use an aluminum water bottle at work or at the gym.

Read more about living a green life from the Green Umbrella Regional Sustainability Alliance.

Interested in participating in some local Earth Day activities?

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

  • The Blue Ash Rec Center has an Earth Day celebration from 4-7pm on April 19, 2017.
  • The Cincinnati Zoo is hosting Party for the Planet: An Earth Day Celebration from 4-8:30pm on April 20, 2017.
  • Krohn Conservatory has free tree seedling to visitors on April 21, 2017. (There is an admission fee to the conservatory.)
  • Summit Park in Blue Ash has an Earth Day Celebration from 12pm-7pm on April 22, 2017.
  • In Loveland, Ohio, enjoy a scavenger hunt and learn about sustaining the environment on April 22, 2017 at the Jackson Street Market. Learn more about this event.
  • Run for Mother Earth! On April 22, 2017 you can participate in a 5k run at England-Idlewild Park in Burlington, Kentucky.
  • At Fernald Nature Preserve in Hamilton, Ohio, you can participate in an Earth Day Haiku Hike on April 22, 2017. Free event.
  • On April 24, 2017, an Arbor Day Celebration will be held at the Amberley Village Hall.

Dayton, Ohio

  • Adopt-A-Park happens on April 22, 2107 at the Five River MetroParks.
  • Glen Helen Park in Yellow Springs has an Earth Day morning Bird Hike on April 22, 2017. The Park is also hosting a 5k-10k on April 23, 2017.
  • The 2nd Street Market is giving tree seedlings away on April 22, 2017.

Observe Veteran’s Day – November 11, 2016

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Military dog tags and camoflage flag

The official day to honor our veterans is on Friday, November 11, 2016. This day coincides with Armistice Day and Remembrance Day (a world-wide observance of the end of WWI on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918). Armistice Day officially became Veteran’s Day in 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill.

President Eisenhower said, “I do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe November 11 as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom …”

There are more than 21 million veterans currently living in the U.S.

We thank all of our veterans who have sacrificed to make our country safe. You are our heroes!

Observe Veteran’s Day in Your Community

  • Here is are links to various Veteran’s Day events from November 11- 13, 2016 throughout the greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas.
  • Links to freebies for Veterans.

Parades and Ceremonies

 

Cincinnati Food Trucks – A Mobile Phenomenon

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Why go to a landlocked restaurant when you can dine…from a truck or as we say “a rolling restaurant” Foodies, go and find your culinary delights from one of the many food trucks found throughout our area. Here are a few to consider:

Pizza Bomba
The Crab Rongoon pizza seems to be very popular for this pizzeria on the go.  Follow their Tweets for locations.

Fireside PizzaFireside Pizza
The mobile oven wagon creates nine-inch and 14-inch pizzas.

Alabama Que
Turkey tips, smoked chicken, pork rib tips, beef ribs and all kinds of southern-style side dishes!

Taco Azul
Si! Si! Get your tacos here. Everything is made fresh daily. Enjoy tacos, burritos, tortas (Mexican sandwich), quesadillas and chips with salsa. Follow their calendar from their website, Tweets or Facebook. You’ll find them on the Square and at local festivals.

C’est Cheese
Grilled cheese, please!  Their menu has some sassy grilled cheese goodies. Especially appealing to this writer is “So Gouda”, with smoked gouda, caramelized onion and fig preserves on Tuscan pane. (Salivating…) Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find where they will be serving. You’ll find the menu on Facebook, too. (Recent location siting includes Linn and Eight St.)

Red Sesame BBQ
Enjoy Korean-style BBQ, tacos and more!

Bistro de Mohr
All kinds of good eats from gyros, wraps, burritos and more.

Bone’s Burger
This food truck serves Northern Cincinnati business parks as well as private events. Enjoy grass-fed beef burgers — healthier burgers! You’ll also find gourmet-style grilled cheese and ice cream floats on the menu. Follow their location calendar for their serving stops such as Redstone of Kenwood, Governor’s Hill, Pfeiffer Place and Animations in Oakley.

Senor Roy’s Taco Patol
Enjoy “fresh mex” from this food truck including fish tacos. Their tacos are large and they have great reviews online! It looks like the best way to follow this truck is via twitter (@cincyroy). They park at downtown stops such as 7th and Vine and Central Parkway and Main.

Empanadas Aqui
Savor all kinds of yummy empanadas and other Hispanic dishes.

Urban Grill
Lots of interesting sandwiches served on brioche buns like the urban mac (grilled mac ’n cheese) with bacon and pepper relish.

New Orleans To Go
Tres yum yum! Enjoy n’awlins fare from many city locations, festivals and farmers markets.

Marty’s Waffles
These waffles have imported Swedish pearl sugar. Enjoy lots of flavors and toppings.

Packhouse Meats
This truck is known for its meatballs and sauces. Read and article about this truck here.

Urban Vistro
Enjoy ribs, burgers, loaded hot dogs, tacos, salmon, and even a 10-ounce NY strip steak Oscar!

Kaimeslsky’s
This food cart features all kinds of tasty hot dogs, burgers, brats and sausages.

Street Chef Brigade
Enjoy burgers, pulled pork, fried bologna, salads and more!

Wiggy Dip
This is a mobile ice cream truck serving all kinds of hand-dipped sweet treats.

See even more local food trucks from this Cincinnati Refined article.

HOW TO FIND A FOOD TRUCK

Social Media
You can follow your favorite food trucks on social media and many post their locations for the weeks on web page.

Cincinnati Food Truck Association
The Cincinnati Food Truck Association has an active Facebook page that posts locations of trucks with maps.

Best Downtown Cincinnati Food Truck Zones: Fifth and Race, Court and Vine

Sibcy Cline Realtors Is Partnering with Luxury Portfolio International

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luxPortWebsite

Sibcy Cline Realtors has partnered with Luxury Portfolio International, a worldwide luxury property network of 200+ affiliate companies from 27 countries. This association was formed to give Sibcy Cline’s high-end listed properties higher national and international exposure to out-of-area buyers.

Sibcy Cline’s $750,00+ listings will appear on the Luxury Portfolio website. This site attracts 125,000 high-net-worth visitors monthly from 200 countries. Sibcy Cline currently has 109 listings on this website. In June 2012, those listings attracted 16,400 property impressions from 46 countries. (Following the United States, China, Switzerland, Brazil and Germany were the countries with the most viewers previewing Sibcy Cline’s high-end listings. In the United States, Ohio, Illinois, Florida and Washington had the most viewers to the listings in June.) The site has the ability for the viewer to translate information into eight languages and numerous international currencies. Annually, LuxuryPortfolio.com promotes 25,000 high-end properties.

Says Rob Sibcy, President of Sibcy Cline Realtors, “We are very excited about our participation with Luxury Portfolio International. Sibcy Cline’s website has a very strong presence in our local market. We are constantly working and focusing our resources to make our website the most useful home-search tool. Luxury Portfolio will enable our agents to market their high-end listings even further with a global reach in a highly targeted manner.”

Luxury Portfolio International provides Sibcy Cline’s agents with monthly analytical reports of views to their listings. These statistics include property impressions, detail page results, visits by country, language and currency requests.

One of Sibcy Cline’s high-end listings, a national award-winning designed home by architect Charles Gwathmey, will be a featured home in a branded Luxury Portfolio print advertisement in the fall issue of Veranda magazine.

Luxury Portfolio is the luxury face of  Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a global network of locally owned real estate companies with 500 members and $235 billion in annual home sales. Sibcy Cline is a founding member of this organization.

Tim Mahoney II of Sibcy Cline Realtors Montgomery Office Appeared on HGTV House Hunters

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Tim Mahoney II – Sibcy Cline Montgomery

Tim Mahoney II, a real estate agent with Sibcy Cline Montgomery, met a couple from New York City at one of his open houses and thus fate happened for his appearance on HGTV’s House Hunters.

The couple was very interested in appearing on the show and strongly encouraged Tim to submit his video for approval to the show. Although a bit reluctant to do so, Tim finally did create that video, and he and his clients were accepted for filming.

The HGTV film crew took five days to videotape the 20 minutes of air time for this episode.

Here is how HGTV describes this episode:
“Newlyweds At Odds Over Style in Cincinnati” – Newlyweds, Lea and Eric, just moved to the Midwest from the New York City area. After spending a few months in rural Batesville, Indiana, they’ve decided to move closer to the nearest big city: Cincinnati. A savvy real estate broker, Lea has strong opinions about what she wants; a home with an amazing kitchen and vintage touches. But Eric, a scientist, would prefer something contemporary, with modern, European-style details. They have $600,000 to spend, but that may not be enough to find a home that meets their high standards, and blends both their tastes.

The show originally aired on January 25, 2013. A video of this episode has not yet been posted on HGTV’s website. The Sibcy Cline Blog will add the video when it becomes available, because everyone wants to know if this couple selected House #1, House #2 or House #3!

Rent or Buy a Home?

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Human hand holding key to a dream house isolated on white

When contemplating a home purchase you should consider the cost of alternative housing options, such as renting an apartment or house.

Where are rental prices headed in the next few years? Typically, rental prices increase about 3% annually. Recent figures, however, are showing dramatic increases in rental pricing with 5.1% increases nationwide.

Multi-family housing demands  as well as single-family rentals have increased since 2007 per Freddie Mac. With the theory of supply and demand, it is expected that rental prices will continue to increase substantially in the next few years.

The cost of owning a home now (with lower mortgage rates and home costs) might be the better alternative to a rental apartment or home that is more than likely to increase in price yearly.

However, the cost of owning a home will also begin to increase as both home prices and mortgage rates rise.

Now may be the best time to purchase a home or condominium, while the lower mortgage rates can be locked into for a long-term housing expense commitment.

Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark Has Some Renovations!

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Opening Day is only a few weeks away on April 1, 2013, when the Cincinnati Reds play the LA Angels. The Great American Ballpark has undergone a few renovations for its fans for this new season:

  • Reds Team Shop – The shop has been altered to allow more people to get in and out. The gift shop will have an entrance facing The Banks.
  • Crosley Terrace –  This area is being renovated to host bands and events.
  • Budweiser Bar – This new bar is located above the visitors’s bullpen area located in right field.
  • Machine Room Restaurant – The large glass window will now open on warm days.

Cincinnati’s Busken Bakery Now Has a Skinny Donut!

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Photo courtesy from http://www.busken.com

Cincinnatians love Busken Bakery. This local pastry shop has been providing goodies to our area for the past 85 years.

And now, Busken is offering a lower-calorie treat called the Lite-Hearted Donut. An alternative to the standard glazed donut, this tasty morsel has half the calories (140) with zero trans fats and zero saturated fats.  (www.busken.com reports this donut is equivalent to 4 Weight Watchers Points.)

Where to find this new treat? All Busken Bakeries, United Dairy Farmers and Remke bigg’s.

Susan Knabe of Sibcy Cline Realtors Addresses International Luxury Real Estate Event

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Susan Knabe, Director of Marketing with Sibcy Cline Realtors, was a speaker at the Luxury Portfolio Summit, February 24-26 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Participants were luxury sales associates and marketing professionals affiliated with Luxury Portfolio International, the luxury face of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, an international network of more than 500 premier real estate firms. The event sold out, with a record attendance of more than 500 top real estate agents and brokers in attendance.

The program was designed to provide participants with insight into high-end consumer preferences and luxury lifestyle and housing trends, focusing on the state of the global luxury real estate sector. Susan presented information on building a luxury program for a real estate brokerage, sharing insights on Sibcy Cline Realtors’ luxury home marketing campaigns.

Susan was among a distinguished line-up of speakers that included television personality and author Joan Lunden, Pulizer Prize-winning humor columnist and a bestselling author Dave Berry, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mortgage Bankers Association Dave Stevens.

Sessions addressed a range of timely topics, from the latest in generational, lifestyle and social marketing to how to communicate with and consult today’s luxury consumer. In-depth discussions offered real-life examples of how the best luxury real estate specialists can become even more effective, when consulting clients who are contemplating a renovation, assisting celebrities and VIPs or responding to the needs and preference of different generational groups.

“It was exciting to among my luxury home marketing peers and gather new ideas for promoting and selling these type of homes,” said Susan. “It was also such an honor to have Sibcy Cline Realtors win the Luxury Portfolio Spirit Award at the conference. This honor reflected our hard work and efforts in showcasing our luxury listings with Luxury Portfolio. Their exposure of our high-end listings nationally and internationally is tremendous.”

Launched in 2005, Luxury Portfolio International annually markets 25,000 of the world’s most remarkable homes, attracting over 1.2 million high-net-worth visitors a year to its award-winning website.

Preview Sibcy Cline’s listings on Luxury Portfolio International here.