Real Estate Information

 By the Numbers: America’s Hard Drinking Cities Evaluation

This may be a ranking we should have missed, but didn’t.  In the recent Forbes evaluations, Austin came in number one followed by Milwaukee, San Francisco, Providence,RI and Chicago as America's hard-drinking cities.  Why were they studying the topic…because of the health consequences of alcoholism.

Why do we rank in the top 10 of 33 studied?  Perhaps because of the abundance of college students…or the history of brewing in the city…or, maybe it’s all the church festivals each summer!

Cincinnati ranked #10 because:

• 56.3% of the people had at least one drink in the last 30 days
• 5.8% of the men who had more than two drinks a day or women over one
• 19.2% admitted to having five or more drinks on one occasion

If you are trying to decide on where to search for a new home in Cincinnati neighborhoods, the local crime statistics will be of interest to you. There is a new FREE website that could answer your questions, www.CrimeReports.com.

When you go to www.CrimeReports.com, you will put in a location and get a nearly real-time report.  The report generates a map, so you feel confident that the location was correct, followed by a list of any crimes that have been committed within a specified distance of the subject property.  You can ask for all types of crimes or limit it to more serious offenses. Plus you can tell them how far back in time to search.

Currently, the site partners with more than 500 law enforcement agencies, covering over 25% of the population. I was interested that it gave me addresses of the locations where there were crimes, and when that criminal was captured, it tells you when and where they were captured, by what law enforcement agency and the name of the person arrested besides. 

At this point, it appears that not all neighborhoods have been entered into the database.  Every address I entered in the City of Cincinnati showed up easily. When I entered Newtown, Milford and Wyoming, they showed no crimes.  I'd like to think there had been no crime, but assume there has at least been a speeding ticket handed out!

The website also has a valuable system to send automatic email crime alerts to you, the consumer. These alerts can go out on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for your home or business address. All you need to do is enter in a valid address and valid email address.  Crime alerts from www.CrimeReports.com could perform a valuable community service as we all work to prevent/reduce crime and avoid being a victim.

Now that furnaces are fired up in everyone's homes, it is time for a safety reminder about the potential of dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning.  It is certainly vital to your family's health to avoid and prevent the gas in our homes.

What exactly is Carbon monoxide?  It is a gas that is both colorless and odorless, so it isn't easy to know you have a problem, like you can with natural gas. CO is produced when fuels such as natural gas, oil or propane combust in furnaces, water heaters or stoves.  All of these vent the resulting gases, either through chimneys or direct venting. Carbon monoxide can generate dangerous levels when something happens in the venting, through incomplete combustion, improper installation of blockages, leaks or cracks in the venting system.

Here are some tips that homeowners can follow to protect themselves:

• Purchase a CO detector, (both plug-in and battery types are available) and install according to manufacturers instructions.
• If the CO detector activates:
  • shut off all fuel-burning devices
  • open doors and windows
  • if anyone is experiencing fatigue, nausea or confusion, seek medical attention immediately
• Be sure all devices are installed properly and vented to the outside - a good reason for those home inspections we advocate
• Have all repairs to furnaces,water heaters and gas stoves done by licensed contractors.  Do not attempt it yourself or rely on a friendly neighbor
• Only use the fuel specified for the device you are using
• inspect flues and chimneys regularly for cracks, leaks and blockages and, while they are at it, have them cleaned as well.
• Never use gas stoves and oven to heat your home
• Never idle a vehicle in the garage, even with the door open.  It is too easy to have something distract you and someone upstairs hurt, while you deal with the other emergency.
• And finally, one of most important, HAVE FUEL BURNING APPLIANCES INSPECTED YEARLY!

Give us a call , if you need the name of a reliable furnace company.  We recommend that you set up a service contract that provides for twice yearly inspections.  This makes sure that the job will always be done.  The Cincinnati Team maintains a list of contractors that our customers have found satisfactory.  We're happy to pass those names along to you.

Have a safe Fall (I mean Winter!)

This Old House Magazine recently showed pictures of nightmares discovered in inspections.  It is so awful, it is funny.  Explore them and be horrified...it isn't a Halloween Hoax! Click for dangerous horrors that inspectors have seen...Inspection Nightmares

Is it any wonder that we, at the Cincinnati Team, always recommend an inspection?  Only inspectors that have been certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) are on our list.  Kentucky now licenses inspectors and Ohio is discussing the idea.  We think the legislature should move forward and require licenses.

Books by the Banks, organized by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, the Kenton County Public Library, the Mercantile Library, Joseph Beth Booksellers, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Magazine, is scheduled for Saturday, October 17 from 10am to 4pm. It will be held downtown at the Duke Energy Convention Center. There's something for everyone and best of all, it's free!

Seen at left is the fun poster for the event by Ryan Ostrander.  Don't you love the way he has incorpoarated the  riverfront by the banks and buildings made of books.  Posters will be available for purchase for $10. Quite clever!

Target is sponsoring the Kids' Corner.  All day, they will have Lunch bags to decorate, bookmarks for children to design and temporary tattoos.  Visiting will be the Reading Retriever, Rufus the Library Reading Dog, Tales the Dragon, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Max the Bunny, Curious George and Mouse.  There will be story times at 10:30am and 2:30pm.  Joel Caithamer, the singing librarian will appear at 11am and 1pm.  Plus authors featured will be Sharon Draper, Bender and Bender, and Will Hilldenbrand.

For the rest of us, there will be over 100 local and regional authors, book signings and author panels.  Local names you will recognize are Thane Maynard and Forrest Gregg. Local interest books include: King of the Queen City, Cincinnati Ghosts, Cincinnati's Crosley Field and lots more.  Authors featured will be Jeanette Walls, Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Garth Stein, Jennifer Weiner and Ellen Schreiber  There will even be cooking demonstrations from the Joy of Cooking and The Cake Doctor.

For more information, go to www.BooksbytheBanks.org.    You could spend the entire day. Did I mention that all this is free?

Things to add to your Cincinnati activities calendar for the month of October...take advantage of all the things our city has to offer:

• October 1-18 - Meet Me in St. Louis at the Covedale Center for Perfoming Arts, 513-241-6550, www.CincinnatiLandmarkProductions.com
  • Join the Smith family as they tour the 1904 World's Fair in Chicago...the music has lasted for all to enjoy
• October 24-November 24 - Three Sisters at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - 513-381-4444  www.CincyPlay.com
  • A new version of Anton Chekhov's story of three sisters and their desire to leave their small town life and go to Moscow where their lives will be transformed and fulfilled.  Directed by John Doyle of Company and written by Sara Ruhl, this is a premiere production, right here in Cincinnati
• October 31 - Monster Mash Bash - Fountain Square, 8 PM-Midnight 513-621-4400  www.MyFountainSquare.com/MonsterMash
  • Join the costumed revelers for a fun evening with DJ Easz.  You are promised goulish lighting and fun treats.

Finally, the City of Cincinnati has decided to adopt another formal comprehensive plan…after 30 years.  We were the first in the nation to do so in 1925 and then again in 1948 and 1980.  So Plan Cincinnati is being put in place and will hopefully be completed by December 2010.

It is expected that the plan will create a vision of where the City wants to go and how it intends to get there. Mayor Mark Mallory and the Planning Department will be presenting four regional meetings this fall to make citizens aware of the process:

• Corryville Rec Center, Sept 30, 6-8pm
• Price Hill Rec Center, October 5, 6-8pm
• College Hill Rec Center, October 15, 6-8pm
• Madisonville Rec Center, October 22, 6-8pm

A steering committee of 31 people has been appointed to help lead the process and evaluate the Plan’s eleven primary elements: Housing and Neighborhood Development, Economic Development and Business Retention, Transportation and Transit, Environment and Open Space, Land Use, Historic Preservation, Urban Design, Utilities and Infrastructure, Institutions, Intergovernmental Cooperation and Fiscal.

In February, a neighborhood Summit is expected to be devoted to the comprehensive plan and how the various neighborhoods need to be involved.  So mark you calendar and attend the meeting closest to you.  Your involvement leads to vital neighborhoods and cities!

The August 2009 issue of Outside Magazine praised Cincinnati’s low cost of living and resilient and well-balanced blend of industries, everything from aerospace to advertising.  In their rankings, Cincinnati topped the charts for best economy.  They remarked upon the downtown as very urban and completely walkable and mentioned the outstanding parks and green spaces.  They were excited to hear about long-term planning related to the streetcar line in the urban core, the cycling complex in the works and the groundbreaking for the Banks.

Outstanding architecture, awesome restaurants, neighborhoods with eclectic, affordable housing were all influential.  Even Oktoberfest was featured. It’s location within driving distance of such outdoor spaces as Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and whitewater rafting in West Virginia was mentioned.

Other cities in the ranking were Charlotte, Minneapolis, Portland, Albuquerque, Boston, Atlanta, Austin, Seattle and Colorado Springs at number one.

For the first time in five years, existing home sales have increased for four months in a row, according to an August report by the The National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Existing home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops - increased 7.2 percent in July, which is the largest monthly sales gain recorded since 1999. Analysts are projecting an increase in 2009 of existing home sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.24 million units, which is 5 percent above the 4.99 million-unit pace set in July 2008.

Have you heard of District A?  We hadn't either, but you're going to hear more and more about it!  Because it is more than an arts district, it is an arts collaborative, a clearinghouse, and a catalyst to strengthen the sense of community and spur economic development along the Montgomery Road Corridor that connects Pleasant Ridge and Kennedy Heights in Cincinnati.  The Community Councils of these neighborhoods envision an even more diverse and vibrant community...with the arts at the core. 

On October 10th they are sponsoring a Street Festival along Montgomery Road, starting at Losantiville Avenue in Pleasant Ridge and going to Kennedy Avenue in Kennedy Heights.  There will be everything from performing arts and music to an art show and sale to hands-on community art.  The festival runs from Noon to 7PM.

You can enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides from 1-4 pm.  Soapbox cars and classic cars will both be featured. An outdoor stage will be erected in Pleasant Ridge with different acts throughout the day.  The local branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library is sponsoring jazz pianist, Phil DeGreg and family art to enjoy.

Arts events will be held in Kennedy Heights at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, ballet tech cincinnati, and the Green Corner Studio and Marketplace.

Plus local restaurants will have specialties for that day and other booths will be set up.  According to the news release I got, "Pleasant Ridge Chili will be open till you smell what's baking at Ridge Donut Shop."