Sadie’s Take on Delaware Ohio

Setting Sun on Job Site

Originally uploaded by rockies73

Housing starts in Delaware are at a stand-still, but the commercial sector is growing like a weed.

Just this past week, developers broke ground at the corner of Houk Road and Central Avenue. Not sure on what will be enjoying this new site (It is not the new YMCA as some believe) but previous discussions included another grocery store heading into the location.

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I’ve been reading the recent letters to the editor in the Delaware Gazette regarding the levy that will be voted on August 5, for the Council for Older Adults. The letters have been very well thought out and a very educated discussion.

However, with my wife and I nearly 30 years away from being eligible for the Council’s benefits we wanted to bring a different thought to the table.

Too often, our communities are defined by our schools, our historical boards, our city council, and our local volunteer organizations. But who is volunteering for these organizations? Working with the Delaware County Bicentennial, the Red Cross, and numerous other local organizations - I’ve learned it is these older adults that are keeping a vital part of community alive and well.

There have been a couple of questions that have been brought before me ever since the lawn sign went up in our yard.

Why Now? It is dictated by the state. Period. The state of Ohio doesn’t allow any funding for senior services to extend beyond five years. The last time the Council came before Delaware County for funding was 2003, add five years and you’ve got 2008. (It’s magic!)

Why the Increase? Have you heard of those aging baby boomers? Yeah, we have a few of those in Delaware County. According to the Council’s levy Web site, the number of people receiving their services has increased by 234% in the past nine years. And they project it will go up another 54 percent before the end of the proposed levy. One of the things that makes our Council one of the top in the state is that there is no waiting list for services. It is the excellent planning of Bob Horrocks and his staff at the Council that has allowed for this to happen. Why the increase? Because the Council needs it to satisfy the seniors in Delaware County. In the council’s words:

Our local older population is growing very rapidly and this growth is expected to continue for some time. The bulk of levy funding is used to provide in-home care and as our population ages this need will increase. Additional funding is needed to help avoid placing local older adults in need of in-home care on waiting lists. A couple of our largest expenses are for food and transportation and both of these costs have increased much more rapidly than inflation, in general.

Why should I pay for another county building? Many Delawarians are upset about the Hall’s Building, but this levy has nothing to do with the Council’s new building. A very small amount of the funding goes to the buildings operations, the majority of it is used for in-home and other senior service options for the community.

Sounds Good, but I’ll be Gone August 5. Sorry, no excuse anymore. Request an absentee ballot from the Delaware County Board of Elections.

Have more questions? Visit Save Senior Services Web site by the Council for Older Adults.

Get out and vote on August 5! Two key items are on the ballot in the city.

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Residents in the city of Delaware will have the chance to zote on funding a new recreational center which would be built on South Houk Road between William Street (St. Rte. 37) and Pittsburgh Avenue.

The Citizens to Promote Recreation have launched a Web site to promote the intiative which will be owned by the City, run by the YMCA and have joint space with the proposed National Guard Armory.

The Recreation Center will cost  the “avearge” Delaware family $77 per year in city income tax according to the organization’s Web site.

To pay for the facility, the Delaware income tax rate would be raised from 1.4% to 1.55%, which is a 0.15% increase in the rate until paid (expected to be within 20 years)*. For a family with a household income of $75,000, the new rate would cost approximately $112 additional per year. According to the most recent census information available, the median household income in Delaware is $51,422, which means the average Delaware household would pay approximately $77 additional per year. *Once debt is paid, the income tax will roll back to 1.4%.  (Source: Delaware Recreation Center Web site)

Whether you support this bill or not get out and vote on August 5!

Photograph by Ahmed Ikleel and used via permission of Flickr.

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It’s a great time to buy real estate. You’d expect that from me, since, well I earn my living by helping you buy and sell real estate.

However, wise investors - and a few radio hosts - are jumping on board. During Fox Sports on MSN’s Gametime Live on Thursday night host Andrew Siciliano and Krystal Fernandez agreed it is a great time to buy real estate.

I may not always agree on their views in the sports world, but on real estate, they are spot on.

Poster is property of Fox Sports.

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It has been several days since the news broke that one of Delaware’s most notable landmarks was being closed to make room for a regional chain restaurant.

The shock hit at first, then the pain, then the frustration, and now the lament for a city’s innocence lost.

Bad New on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried when I read about his widow bride.
but something touched me deep inside the day the music died.

The music being Delaware’s innocence and local shops. As the Kohls store on the city’s east side nears completion and the entire project looks more like something that should be sitting in Polaris than Delaware, it seemed that downtown was immune. We could get a good local cup of coffee at Trotter’s Coffee Company, grab lunch at Bun’s, Jug, Nova, Hamburger Inn, or even Gulla Lunch Stand.

However, it was always THE Jug that stood out. Maybe it was the longevity - 62 years - or being named after our famous horse race. Or all the above. Generations of Delaware residents, Ohio Wesleyan students, and tourists made the restaurant their home away from home for at least a night. And the waitstaff always made you feel welcome and the Hamburger Soup was the best “heart attack soup” in the world.

I can’t fault long-time owners Bill Stroud and Ed Wolf for their decision, hell I would have done the same thing. Run a business for 31 years and someone comes “knocking” on your door. You have to listen. Do I wish they’d been able to tell their employees? Of course.

But, I feel most for the loss of our downtown flagship. We lost the “real” Bun’s in the fire and now with the Jug being converted to a Hoggie’s our downtown anchors are gone.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

Of course we will survive, we always have. We’ve gotten through …

• Wal-Mart
• Polaris
• Columbus creeping closer and closer

We’ll get through this. It is the nature of small-town mom and pop businesses.

Sitting at Trotter’s Coffee Company on Wednesday, the conversation was for an icon lost. A generation will always long for “the olden days” with McClellans and the Jug. But, we - as a community - need to make sure that future generations have landmarks to rember the “olden days” in.

Video is property of NBC and “Imus in the Morning”

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This fourth of July weekend is a great one to get out and enjoy Ohio’s waterways.

Be careful with the fly fishing though as many of the areas streams and rivers are running higher than usual due to all the rain.

Get out and enjoy Ohio’s water ways!

Video is property of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

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fireworks in Taipei

Originally uploaded by *dans

Wishing you and yours a wonderful and safe Fourth of July!

Enjoy all the events that Delaware, Ohio has to offer over the next two days. From the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra concert and fireworks today to the parade and community day evens of Saturday.

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Velcro Wallets on Clearance?

Originally uploaded by rockies73

Gretchen and I recently had a “date night” at Easton Town Centre on Columbus’s east side.

No matter what store we go into, my first stop is the clearance rack. At Eddie Bauer, these velcro — or as they say “sports” — wallets were sitting atop the rack.

How long has it been since velcro wallets were the fad?

It got me thinking about how many ways there are to sell things. Does it matter how your agent markets your house? Yes and no.

Are you getting qualified buyers visiting your house?
Are you getting feedback from those showings?

When you sit down to the listing appointment you need to make sure that the agent and your vision of the marketing efforts are on the same “wave length”. There are many ways to “skin a house” and get it sold. Just make sure you are going to be happy.

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by David Reed, CD Reed Mortgage

Owner financing has been a popular practice in previous real estate downturns. Current market conditions and upheavals in the mortgage industry have given rise to a new-found interest in this idea. If you own your property outright, have a need to sell in a soft market and are interested in converting your sold home into an investment that yields returns, owner financing may be a option worth exploring.

Successful owner financing means that you, the owner of the property, get to widen the potential pool of home buyers by offering to finance the transaction. And since private lending, where you act as the mortgage lender, tends to offer higher than standard interest rates to offset risks, you can also enjoy a nice return on the home loan.

Due diligence is the key to successful owner financing. This is not intended as a means to provide financing for those who have damaged credit, little or no income or some other “loan of last resort” characteristic. So who is this ideal candidate and how do you, the owner, evaluate such a proposition?

Your ideal candidate is someone who has excellent credit but for some reason, lenders aren’t using all or part of the buyer’s income. For instance, someone that has been an attorney for a legal firm for several years and just last year started their own practice or an experienced mechanic who ventures out on his own to open up his own shop. Lenders like to see two years’ worth of self employment when evaluating a loan application.

You’ll need to check the buyer’s credit and you can do so by getting written permission to pull a credit report. Or, you can log on together to www.annualcreditreport.com and print off a current report at no charge. Have the prospect provide you with three months most recent bank statements, personal and business, to show cash flow. To verify employment, dial “411” and ask for the phone number for that person’s business and call the office.

You can only hold a note on a property that is free and clear. Any transaction where title changes hands will trigger the “due on sale” clause inserted in mortgage loans.

Finally, and most importantly, get a substantial down payment. Anything that is 20 percent down indicates that the buyer is serious. Most owner financing arrangements are done on two to three year balloon notes. The idea is that your non-qualifying buyer will have time to establish a track record with their earnings and refinance with a traditional lender.

If the market is slowing down the sale of your home, discuss the possibility of adding owner financing to your listing with your agent.

David Reed, owner of CD Reed Mortgage, has appeared on  CNBC, CNN,  ‘Fox and Friends’, the ’Today’ show in New York and is a best-selling real estate author,  having written Mortgages 101, Who Says You Can’t Buy a Home!, Mortgage Confidential, Your Guide to VA Loans, Real Estate Investor’s Guide to Financing, and An Insider’s Guide to Refinancing Your Mortgage. His advice has appeared in the New York Times, Business Week, Kiplinger’s, Parade Magazine, Washington Post, and Real Simple, as well as in numerous newspapers and magazines across the country.

Artwork by Rodolfo Clix and used via license of Stock.xchng.

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Delaware’s Community Day will take place on July 5 throughout downtown. In celebration of the city and county’s 200th birthday a party will take place throughout downtown all morning.

Schedule of events:

• 7:30am-9:30am - Pancake Breakfast St. Mary Church, William St.
• 9:30am-12:30pm - Farmers Market
• 9am & 10am - Historic Downtown Walking Tour meet in front of The Mean Bean-(30 min tour)
• 9am & 10am - Historic walking tour OWU campus & downtown (meet @ Rutherford B. Hayes Memorial, William St., in front of BP gas station)
• 10am-1:30pm – Children’s Activities, under the tent at the corner of William St. & Sandusky St.
• 11am-12:30pm – Bicentennial Stage Events in the National City Bank parking lot: Beard growing/photo contest results, Buckeye Valley Alumni band, cake cutting/refreshments, and many more events.
• 1pm – “5th of July” Bicentennial Parade starting at the fairgrounds and traveling through the historic downtown.

The following events will be available in downtown area throughout the morning and early afternoon.

• Historic Photo Displays
• Historic Artifact Displays
• Amateur Radio Club
• OWU Historic Artifact Display

For the latest details visit our website: www.Delawareco200.com

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