Knox County Ohio Blog

The Apple iPad is an amazing tech tool especially for those of us who are on the go most of our days.  I am a real estate professional and I personally spend 90% of my time outside of my office so for me to remain highly productive I must leverage technology.  A couple of things that I must have is a device that offers "Instant on with the push of a button with no lengthy boot times and my technology has got to be lightweight and truly portable.  What I am going to show you in this video will exceed both of these requirements and I have a feeling your brain will start spinning with ideas and potential uses once you watch the video and it sinks in.  

If you already have an Apple iPad you are 80% there already and you just need to pick up an Apple Camera Connection Kit which costs less than $30 and a Visioneer Mobility portable scanner which includes the SD camera card and costs under $200.  Watch this short video and you will see how slick these tech tools work together.  I showed my office this in action and I blew their minds because we had heard over and over that we couldn't scan into an iPad and as you can see from this video that we can get our scans into our iPad quickly and very easily.

If you picked up an idea from this blog I would love for you to "Like" it, share it and tweet it .  Thank You!!!  Sam Miller of REMAX Stars Realty 740-397-7800 knoxcountyohio.com

Home sales in Knox County Ohio are on the rise and last month the Knox County Board of REALTORS MLS system reported a 5% increase in homes sales inside the county.  What is equally interesting is that there were 46 new listings added in January and a total of 311 homes listed within the county per the local MLS.  This is a positive sign and many experts believe we are headed towards a more stable housing market.  The FEDS recent announcement to not raise the FED rate adds to the good news for real estate and most businesses associated with the housing market. 

January 2012 was one of the most active Januarys for our real estate team since 2007.  Showing activity on our personal listings was way up over the showing activity in January 2011.  Not only did we receive more physical property showings on our listings but our virtual home showings from our knoxcountyohio.com website was up a significant amount.  Our knoxcountyohio.com real estate website experienced listing page views and traffic numbers that matched our 2nd single biggest month ever and the record months are usually recorded during the peak home selling season in the summer months.  The reason I am sharing this with you is because it confirms a trend that our local market activity is on the rise and I believe their is a high probability this trend will continue throughout 2012.        

Thinking of purchasing a home?  Home pricing is down and mortgage interest rates are at a 50 year low.   

 

• Knox County Ohio homes for sale 
• Apple Valley Lake homes for sale 
• Centerburg Ohio homes for sale
• Danville Ohio homes for sale
• Fredericktown Ohio homes for sale
• Gambier Ohio homes for sale
• Howard Ohio homes for sale
• Mount Vernon Ohio homes for sale

 

Home sales in Knox County Ohio started 2011 off with a slightly slower pace due to the unseasonal winter weather and snow conditions that lasted until April.  The good news is that once the spring housing market arrived home sales jumped right back on track.  2011 was the year where we experienced some of the lowest 30 year mortgage interest rates that we have seen in more than 50 years.  With the low interest rates came low monthly payments for those who qualified for a home loan and this spun the economic wheels and helped stimulate the Knox County Ohio housing market.  

2011 was the year of the "1st Time Home Buyer" in Knox County Ohio.  Our team and I experienced so many transactions in 2011 where we were helping a first time home buyer purchase and we were able to help them obtain a lower monthly payment on a home of their own than they were previously paying for rent in an apartment.  Monthly payments today are still approaching a record low and there are still zero down payment and low down payment loans available today.  If you have given any serious thought about buying a home now may be a good time for you because the asking prices of most homes are down and when you combine lower prices with record low interest rates you have the perfect combination for long term financing saves and the making of a great investment. 

We have created some special real estate listing links that feature over 100 available homes:

• View all of our available Knox County Ohio homes for sale
• View all of our available Mount Vernon Ohio homes for sale
• Apple Valley Lake homes for sale organized in price order
• Fredericktown Ohio homes for sale displayed in price order
• Knox County Ohio homes with acreage and larger lots
• Bank owned repossession homes for sale in Knox County Ohio
• New listings in Knox County Ohio displayed in price order

 

The Apple Valley Lake continues to be an active housing market and sales have remained relatively strong over the last 5 years.  There were 85 Apple Valley homes that sold in 2011 according to the Knox County Ohio MLS as of January 2nd, 2012.  It should come as no surprise that 85 home sales at the Apple Valley Lake didn't break any home sales records but 2011 was within 8 homes sales of matching the 2010 Apple Valley home sales numbers.  One of the key factors that caused Apple Valley to not match or surpass home sales figures of 2010 was because in 2011 we had a very long winter season with snow on the ground all the way into April.  The reality is that the second half of the year in 2011 was actually stronger than in 2010 which is a sign that the market was headed in the right direction.  

2011 was a great year for our real estate team regarding home sales at the Apple Valley Lake, lots sales at the Apple Valley Lake and real estate sales in general within Knox County Ohio.  We were pleased to lead the local housing market for the 20th consecutive year for most homes sold and we successfully sold and closed 203 real estate transactions which is nearly triple the transactions compared to the nearest real estate team in Knox County Ohio.  

If you are considering making a move in 2012 to the Apple Valley Lake or even if you just want to purchase a cheap Apple Valley lot so that you can lake and amenity privilidges at the Apple Valley Lake, The Sam Miller Team we would love to be your Apple Valley Lake REALTOR.  You can view available Apple Valley Lake homes for sale and we have also created a special listing which which contains Apple Valley Lake lots for sale and both links are conveniently organized in price order for easy viewing.

 

It's December 1st and here is your Knox County Ohio November 2011 home sales report.  

Residential homes sales in November 2011 were up 40% compared to November 2010.  This is a HUGE increase and I purposely compared the exact same months instead of comparing November 2011 with October 2011 so that I could demonstrate the significance of our recent home sales activity increase.  November 2011 and October 2011 were both WAY up regarding home sales and neither of these months were up just slightly either.  October was up by about 30% compared to the previous October 2010 and this November was up by 40.9% as of today and there might even be some November home sales that haven't been report to our local Knox County Ohio MLS yet either.  This November we saw a positive shift in specific price ranges that were selling.  

80.6% of the homes that SOLD this past November sold between $50,000 to $175,000.  This means that both the entry level priced homes and the mid price range homes were most active.  This also means that 4 out of 5 homes that SOLD in November sold in this price range.  This is a very positive market shift because during the fall season in Knox County Ohio the housing market generally slows down when the colder weather arrives.  

When the lower and more average price range homes are selling...the owners of these homes traditionally move up into larger and more expensive homes.  When this happens it can help create additional interest, activity and more home sales in the mid and upper price ranges.  Many of the serious homebuyers that are in the market today already own an existing home and most of them need to sell their current home so that they can take advantage of the exceptional opportunities that are available in the market today.  I recently read that the current home pricing is comparable to price levels that existed between 1998 - 2001 before the rise of the housing bubble.  This is significant not only because of the current lower housing prices but because when you combine todays lower pricing with some of the lowest mortage rates in over 60 years you have arrived at potentally the most affordable time in the past 60 years to buy and own a home.  

There will be people that you know who will look back on 2011 and 2012 and wish they had bought a home during one of the most affordable times in history.  The opposite side of this is that the many wise homebuyers will look back on this time as one of the greatest home buying opportunities to buy low, enjoy the benefits of home ownership while creating an opportunity because buying low and selling high is one of the keys to building financial security for later life.  

Will you look back on 2011 and 2012 and say "I wish I would have bought a home when the interest rates were 4%?".  

Many will be surprised that we are featuring the Apple Valley Lake more than two months after the peak boating season is behind us.  We just couldn't pass up an opportunity to share with you something that most people at the Apple Valley Lake and most Knox County Ohio residents have NEVER seen before.  Each year in November the Apple Valley property owners association has their maintenance crew lower the lake level before the winter weather arrives.  This year we were at the Apple Valley Lake Spillway on November 15th at 7:30 a.m. to photo and shoot HD video of this event which only happens once a year.

This video is part of our ongoing series titled "365 Things To Do in Knox County Ohio" by Sam Miller of REMAX Stars Realty.  If you would like to view our previously featured community amenities be sure to visit our 365 Things To Do in Knox County Ohio blog.  The Sam Miller Team has been the areas top home selling team in Knox County Ohio for the past 20 years.

The sun has been shining on the Knox County Ohio local market lately and home sales are on the rise.  This past October we saw an increase of roughly 30% in monthly home sales compared to October 2010.  What is really interesting is that we saw an increase in home sales during a time of year when the housing market traditionally begins to slow down following the summer market after school starts.  This recent increase in Knox County Ohio home sales bucks the market trends and sales statistics over the previous 5 years.  

Knox County Ohio and most specifically the Mount Vernon community and at the Apple Valley Lake experienced the biggest increases in showings, online website viewings and homes sales during this past October.  The number of agressively priced homes has reached record levels with an amazing selection to choose from.  When you combine an extensive selection of available homes, much lower home prices and some of the lowest and most affordable 30 year fixed interest rates in nearly 60 years...you have the perfect conditions for first time homebuyers to enter the housing market.  

When first time buyers purchase their first home they enable that homeowner to sell their home and purchase a replacement home.  This is a very important factor that is helping drive the current housing market and it helps explain why our market experienced a 30 percent increase.  I believe as this trend continues that we could continue to see similar increases in monthly home sales as more and more first time homebuyers discover that they can purchase a nice and affordable Knox County Ohio home with very little money down using FHA and OHFA financing.  In many cases we can help homebuyers buy with absolutely zero down payment when they qualify for Rural Development, USDA or VA loans.  With low interest rates and home pricing so low many buyers can buy a home and have monthly payments that are as low if not lower than what they are paying each month for rent.

If you are interested in buying a home and taking advantage of the opportunities and savings that are available TODAY be sure to contact us at (740) 397-7800 or feel free to register online at "I want to buy a home".

Home values today are down from the housing peak of 2006.  What is interesting is that our real estate taxes in Knox County Ohio haven't exactly followed that trend and in many cases remained at those higher values.  This created some frustration for many property owners because many folks knew they were paying their real estate taxes based n inflated tax appraisals.  I have some good news for Knox County...the majority of residential real estate taxes in Knox County Ohio are about to benefit from a reduction.  Tax values will decrease by 6% decrease on all residential classed parcels with the exception off any parcel having new construction.  This a sign that the Department of Taxation is actually listening to those who have posed concerns about their home values as compared to their tax appraised values.  It appears that a 6% decrease calculation was applied to most residential tax appraisals which means that the majority of property taxes will decrease when you pay your tax bill.  

The information below is an account of the letter I received from the Knox County Auditor's Office which does a great job of answers most questions.

Dear Property Owner:  

This change in value notice is being sent to inform you of your new real estate value for the 2011 tax year.  As required by Ohio Law, the County Auditor is charged with the duty to update values during the third year after a county wide reappraisal.  This process is called the Triennial Update.  

A Triennial update is the process of reviewing sales and not actually viewing each property.  The 2011 Triennial update looks at sales from 2008, 2009 and 2010.  After receiving a recommendation from the Department of Taxaction and reviewing arms length sales, a 6% decrease on all residential classed parcels was made with the exception of any parcels having new construction.

If your property is reduced because of the Current Agricultural Use Value program (CAUV) that new value is also included as a notation beneath the market/taxable values.  CAUV soil tables can be adjusted every three years along with the County's Triennial Update and Reappraisal.  These tables are adjusted by the State of Ohio Department of Taxation.

Every property owner is encouraged to review their property's total value.  You can access your property record card to review parcel information on our website at www.KnoxCountyAuditor.org.  We will have open books until October 28, 2011.  At the completion of the open book period our values will be sent to the state for final approval.  After that time if you disagree with your property values you will have the option to file a complaint form through the Board of Revisions (BOR) process from January 1, 2012  to March 31, 2012.

If you have any questions, you can contact our office at (740) 393-6747.  Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8am to 4pm.

Knox County Auditor

If you would like to compare your home with other local homes for sale feel free to visit our listing link which contains all of our available Knox County Ohio homes for sale and we even organized them in price order to make it easier for you to view.