Knox County Ohio Blog

I had a small break between real estate appointments this evening and decided to swing over to the Ariel Foundation Park and give Rastin Observation Tower a try.  I can assure you that if you think it looks like a tall climb from the ground, it looks 10 times higher once you make it to the top of the tower and look down at the ground.  Heights really don't both me that much but walking up the stairs and looking straight down through the grid shaped steps is a very unique sensation and the higher you go the more intense the sensation gets.  It is kinda like looking down through a very cool winding cheese grater.   

I would love to tell you that I made it to the top without breaking a sweat but the truth is that I stopped several times to catch my breath on the landing platforms.  On my journey to the top I passed a gentleman who was taking a break, we said hi and I continued on my way.  Once I made it to the top it wasn't 2 minutes later and that same man joined me at the top.  We officially introduced ourselves and he asked me how my grandmother was doing.  I told him she was doing spectacular.  He then proceeded to tell me that she SOLD him his home more than 40 years ago and he is still living in that same house.  The next words out of his mouth really impressed me.  "I am going to make it to the top of this tower without stopping for a break one of these days" he said.  I told him I stopped and took a break at 3 different spots and he said "4 for me but that's not bad for a 71 year old".  I was speechless and truly impressed with his excitement, energy and his goal of not stopping really inspired me!!!

Ariel Foundation Park is filled with incredible beauty and many wonderful things to do.  The park features gorgeous lakes, trails plus the Kokosing Gap Trail bike path winds through the park.  In a few of the upcoming "365 Things To Do in Knox County Ohio" topics I will highlight some of the other key attractions that Ariel Foundation Park has to offer and I will be sure to include lots of photos. 

View the Rastin Observation Tower from this unique drone footage in the video below!

View All Mt Vernon Homes For Sale

The Knox County Ohio real estate market is off to an impressive start and January 2015 will likely surpass January of 2014 based on the number of residential homes SOLD.  Home sales are not the only segment of the market showing positive signs because the number of homebuyer inquires who are calling and emailing us about our residential listings are much higher than last year.  Our online website property views on knoxcountyohio.com are also on the rise with many days in January receiving more than 1,000 listing pageviews in a single day.  

The graph below is a residential market report that highlights some very key Knox County Ohio real estate market data.  Currently there are 210 active residential homes for sale and there are 28 pending sales being reported and there is a strong likelyhood that there are even more pending sales than the 28 being reported here.  During the last 6 months there have been 235 homes within Knox County Ohio that have successfully sold and 188 that either expired or were withdrawn from the market (this number is pretty typical once school starts and going into the winter months).

Take a close look at the columns on the left and you will see that we have broken down each price range for you.  This is especially helpful beause it you look across the column you will see that we also list the number of available homes specifically by each price range.  As you look further to the right you will see we have also listed the number of pending sales, expired listings and how many have SOLD in each price range over the last 6 months.  This info helps us determine which price ranges will see increases in pricing and which ones have an oversupply of available home because when this happens these homes tends to sell slower (think of it as more sellers than buyers).  

The column to the far right shows how many months of available inventory is currently available in each price range.  You can also see each of these columns are highlighted by a specific color and the meaning of each color is describled at the bottom of the graph (favors buyers, neutral or favors sellers).  You will notice that the $150,000 to $174,999 price range has a red highlight which means that this price range is hot, these homes have been selling extremely well and there isn't much available listing inventory.  If you look closer at this column you will see that there have been 28 sales in this price range within the last 6 months and there are only 13 available for sale today which means there is a shortage.  If you look at the $275,000 to $299,999 price range you will find the exact opposite and this price range is flat today.  There is currently an 18 month supply of available homes.  Only 3 homes in this price range have SOLD during the last 6 months and there are 9 currently for sale and during the last 6 months there were 11 homes in this price range that failed to sell.  Be sure to check out the specific column that most closely matches your desired price range so you will have an insiders view of the current Knox County Ohio housing market.

Our team would love to answer any questions you might have about the Knox County Ohio housing market so feel free to call or email us at anytime.

Thank you!

Sam Miller

During the last 10 years the Knox County Ohio housing market has followed a consistent trend relating to monthly sales.  During the winter months the Knox County Ohio housing market reports fewer home sales and at a lower average sales price than during the peak real estate months which traditionally run from April through August.    

The graphic above represents a common pricing trend that shows that the Knox County Ohio housing market peaks during the summer months.  The reality is that our community consistently buys more higher priced homes during the summer months and before school starts each year.  The graph represents a common market trend which relates to families buying and selling homes during the summer before school starts but there is a hidden factor you may not have considered.  

During the sunshine months the number of expensive waterfront homes that sell at the Apple Valley Lake greatly influence the median sales price.  When the boating season is over and the lake market cools off we simply don't sell as many of those more expensive waterfront homes which brings our median price of SOLD homes back to where it would normally be prior to the influence of those higher priced homes.  If we were to show a report and exclude the waterfront homes the median SOLD price of a home in Knox County Ohio would be roughly $115,000 during the same 6 month period.  

You can view and compare all of our available Knox County Ohio homes for sale and we have organized them in price order for quick and easy viewing.

The State of Ohio requires that most homeowners of single family homes and of 1-4 unit apartments are required to complete an "Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form".   However, there are many property owners who are legally exempt from completing this form.  This video features Ohio Real Estate Expert, Peg Ritenour, of the Ohio REALTOR Association.  Peg does an amazing job of explaining who is exempt from this required disclosure and she clears up some of the confusion relating to bank owned sales, deed in lieu of foreclosure sales, estate sales, trusts, guardian sales, court ordered sales, new construction, co-owner sales, sales to ex-spouses, inherited sales and sales to tenants who have lived in the property.  Most people who are involved in the real estate process including buyers, sellers, bankers, mortgage loan officers, appraisers, REALTORS and real estate professionals will benefit from the information that is shared in this video.

If you would like a sample copy of the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form feel free to contact us at 740-397-7800 and we can provide you with a printed or a digital copy of the disclosure form.

I hope you find this video helpful and thank you for visiting us at knoxcountyohio.com

Sincerely,

Sam Miller 

I picked up the iPhone 6+ and have been testing out the newly enhanced features over the last week.  The new camera is a serious upgrade relating to both the hardware and software application.  The camera is super easy to use and they have added some great features relating to the camera and video.  The camera is so good that I predict that most people who upgrade to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ will use it as their daily camera unless they are professional photographers.  

I took this sunset photo tonight and as you can see the #iPhone6Plus does amazing job.  I shot some interior photos and it does very well in moderate to low light settings.  However, don't think for a minute that this new smart phone will replace our trusty Canon DSLR because there are a handful of things this new iPhone 6+ simply can't do.  It can't shoot wide angle which is very important for interior real estate photos especially when shooting the bedrooms and bath rooms.  The new camera is going to be VERY popular for those who are passionate about posting to their social networks. 

I took this sunet photo from the edge of Mount Vernon, Ohio on Gilchrist Road near Coshocton Road.  This area is within 3 minutes of town yet retains a very rural feeling with farms and country property with picturesque views.  If you enjoy photography this is a really nice area to capture some great shots.  #MountVernonOhio

Located within a few minutes of Kenyon College and in a gorgeous hillside setting in Gambier, Ohio you will find this impressive country setting with mature woods, a picturesque ravine, flowing stream, fields and more.  You can view additional listing details and see beautiful photos of this property by clicking on 20992 Newcastle Road in Gambier, Ohio.

Contact The Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty 740-397-7800

 knoxcountyohio.com

This is a super stylish and the upgrades in this beautiful ranch condo will impress you!!!  It is located within 2 minutes of the area's most popular restaurants, grocery stores and major shopping.  If you are in the market for an extra nice and super clean ranch condo be sure to visit 138 Colonial Woods Drive in Mount Vernon, Ohio.  Immediate possession available and priced to sell at only $184,900.

View all of our other available Mount Vernon Ohio Condominiums that are for sale.

 Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty 740-397-7800  Knox County Ohio Real Estate

The real estate activity in Mount Vernon, Ohio is experiencing a positive shift in buyer activity.  As many of you already know the winter weather in Central Ohio was one of the most challenging in over 20 years with a few weeks of extremely cold temperatures approaching 20 below zero.  This is VERY rare for Central Ohio and this winter there truthfully were times when it was so cold that buyers didn't want to come out and look at homes...they simply stayed home until the weather warmed up.  

The report below gives you a detailed view of the Mount Vernon, Ohio housing market highlighting active listings, pending home sales, expired listings and off markets as reported to the Knox County MLS.  This information is very helpful for my real estate team, my lenders, the appraisers I work with and it is VERY helpful to the buyers and sellers who are working with The Sam Miller Team because it helps them better understand the current housing market in Knox County Ohio.   

Take a close look at the far right column and you will see some detailed statistics titled "Absorbtion Rate which is the current number of inventory in months.  This information is color coded and you can tell which price ranges specifically favor a seller and which price ranges favor buyers.  The way we can determine this is based on the estimated months supply of inventory based on how many homes have been selling on average each month.

If you are in the market for a Mount Vernon Ohio home for sale be sure to click on this link and take a closer look at all of our available Mount Vernon Ohio real estate listings organized by price.

Thanks,  

Sam Miller 

We have SNOW in Central Ohio!  I have to admit that when I looked outside early this morning I didn't expect to see the ground covered with snow.  I have lived in Central Ohio for more than 40 years and I can remember many years when we didn't have snow until after Christmas so waking up to snow today is not a typical day for Mid November in Central Ohio.  Be sure to take a few photos and remember that many auto accidents happen during the first snow of the year as people begin to adjust their driving habits and stopping distance.  Have fun and be safe today!