JoAnn Abercrombie's Blog

Lovely, Updated North Olmsted Bungalow, Priced to Sell, Only $109,900!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:04:40 -0800

Welcome to 5135 Andrus Ave., North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

Nothing left to do but change your mailing address & this charming bungalow is ready to call home! Many updates include: newer windows, furnace, ductwork, elect. box, custom window blinds, landscaping, stamped concrete patio & walkway, 2nd floor carpet & wainscoting, updated bathrm & kitchen. 3 Bedrms plus 2nd-floor loft, currently used as 4th bedrm, but ideal also as study/computer/play rm. Situated on a quiet street, handy to shopping, schools & I-480! Curb appeal plus! Gorgeous stamped concrete walkway, flanked by a bed of colorful flowers/shrubs, invites you to step inside. Rich hardwood floors throughout the 1st floor. Lovely fenced back yard boasts stamped concrete patio & lg covered porch, great for barbeques. Priced most affordably & appliances included!

Call JoAnn Abercrombie, to schedule a personal tour today! 440-781-1924

Click the link below to view additional photos of this unique, beautiful property.

http://www.joannsellshouses.com/Listing/ViewListingDetailsAuthenticated.aspx?ListingID=36811258&ShowCompact=false&Preview=false&new=false&LastTabIndex=-1&BackEmailID=-1&BackEmailTypeID=NONE

Please call me any time, for straight-forward real estate advice, when thinking of buying or selling a home. I'd love the opportunity to help! JoAnn Abercrombie 440-781-1924. Or check out my real estate tips and MLS Property Search at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, N Ridgeville Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs. JoAnn would be happy to give you a free market evaluation of what your home should sell for in today's real estate market. Give her a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com .

Beautiful North Olmsted 2-Story Exudes Pride of Ownership! 4 Bed, 2 Full, 2 Half Baths, Only $169,900!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:00:46 -0800

Welcome to 4006 Dover Center Rd., North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

Sparkling clean, beautifully updated in & out, this beauty exudes pride of ownership! Rich leaded-glass entry door greets you, and invites you into the spacious foyer w/gorgeous wood flooring, which overlooks the surprisingly spacious living room, & adjoining dining room. Step into the appealing family room highlighted by a beautiful full-wall fireplace. Quality garden doors lead to the large rear patio and private back yard, flanked by woods & creek. The beautifully remodeled kitchen boasts an abundance of gorgeous wood cabinetry, solid-surface counters, newer stainless appliances, & bay window spilling sunlight onto the cozy dining area. Wonderful freshly updated & surprisingly lg finished rec room offers lots of casual entertaining/living space. Four grandsized bedrooms,2 full,2 half baths, including fabulous master suite; hall bath offers whirlpool tub/shower. Quality windows,newer dimensional roof, vinyl siding, furnace,C/A,driveway w/parking for 10 cars, 2 water meters for savings!

Call JoAnn Abercrombie, to schedule a personal tour today! 440-781-1924

Click the link below to view additional photos of this unique, beautiful property.

http://www.joannsellshouses.com/Listing/ViewListingDetailsAuthenticated.aspx?ListingID=42734027&ShowCompact=false&Preview=false&new=false&LastTabIndex=-1&BackEmailID=-1&BackEmailTypeID=NONE

Please call me any time, for straight-forward real estate advice, when thinking of buying or selling a home. I'd love the opportunity to help! JoAnn Abercrombie 440-781-1924. Or check out my real estate tips and MLS Property Search at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, N Ridgeville Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs. JoAnn would be happy to give you a free market evaluation of what your home should sell for in today's real estate market. Give her a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com .

Wonderful Extra-Large Parklike Lot! Rocky River Beauty, $214,900

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:25:09 -0800

Welcome to 4050 Wooster Rd., Rocky River, Ohio 44116

You're sure to love the surprising, oversized .39 acre parklike yard of his lovely updated cape!...Priced Most Affordably at $214,900! Enjoy hosting your own volleyball game, soccer match, or have the best playground ever! The grandsized patio is ideal for backyard barbecues and outdoor entertaining, flanked by the inviting 3-season room, which offers inviting space to extend those outdoor gatherings. Imagine curling up enjoying the morning paper and a cup of coffee, overlooking views of the wonderful back yard. The fabulous oversized living room is highlighted by a lovely fireplace, which is flanked by custom built-in display shelves, ideal for showcasing special treasures. The living room is open to the attractive formal dining room, great for everyday living and entertaining. Two spacious bedrooms & full bath on the main floor, & a wonderful expansive suite upstairs w/a private half bath, & skylight spilling sunlight in, equally versatile as a romantic master suite or a great dream bedroom for tweens. The extra roomy finished basement boasts a decorative fireplace, & offers lots of possibilities...plenty of room for a pool table, a bar, a home theater room, or additional living areas. The basement has been professionally waterproofed & has a handy full bath & abundant storage shelving. New roof (strip off)...over $10k improvements Sept 2011!

Call JoAnn Abercrombie, to schedule a personal tour today! 440-781-1924

Please call me any time, for straight-forward real estate advice, when thinking of buying or selling a home. I'd love the opportunity to help! JoAnn Abercrombie 440-781-1924. Or check out my real estate tips and MLS Property Search at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, N Ridgeville Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs. JoAnn would be happy to give you a free market evaluation of what your home should sell for in today's real estate market. Give her a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com .

Spacious Ranch Cluster Home, Enjoy the Best Life Possible w/ Carefree Living!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:37:16 -0800

136 Arrow Ct, Elyria, Hunter's Ridge Ranch Cluster Home, Gorgeous...Only $139,900

Beautiful One-Floor Carefree Ranch Cluster Home, Dramatic, Affordable Style! 1583 Sq. Ft. of Luxurious Living!

Stylish one-floor living at its best! This newer 1583 sq ft cluster home offers a perfect mix of a sprawling ranch w/ the carefree lifestyle of a condominium...and what's more...all the yard work is done for you, leaving you even more time to enjoy all the joys of homeownership! This beauty has a wonderful dramatic open floor plan, vaulted ceilings & spacious rooms. Cozy up to the gas fireplace in the great room, open to the dining room, w/ open serving counter to kitchen, great for entertaining. Dream kitchen boasts a bounty of rich cabinetry, counter space, a fabulous island/breakfast bar...appliances included! Luxurious master suite features a sumptuous whirlpool tub, separate shower, & oversized walk-in closet. Another goodsized bedroom & bath, handy laundry, extra-roomy 2-car garage, private patio. Situated on a quiet street, a quick pivot to highways, shopping & conveniences, make this most affordable home yours!

Call JoAnn Abercrombie, to schedule a personal tour today! 440-781-1924

December & January--a Strategic Time to List Your Westlake, Ohio Home for Sale!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 08:55:03 -0700

In this challenging real estate market, a little strategy pays off! So often, I've heard home sellers state "I want to list my home in time for the spring market," when they've always heard that's a good time to put a home on the market. But I've actually found that I've had by far the most success selling a home quickly and for the highest sale price, when I put it on the market in the winter, when there are less homes on the market. Especially, in this buyers market.

The principle of supply and demand applies...when there are less homes on the market, the buyers who still need to buy, will focus more seriously on your home. If there are 20 homes on the market in a neighborhood, and 5 buyers for that neighborhood at that particular moment, a home will have a one in four chance of one of those buyers offering on it. Whereas, if there are only 10 homes on the market in that neighborhood, and the same 5 buyers, you've automatically doubled your chances of getting the offer and getting your home sold.

Certainly, pricing your home to sell, staging it to make the best impression on buyers, and using strategic timing in when to place your home on the market...are all important keys to getting your home sold in today's market. Make them work for you!

Are you interested in selling your home? If so, call JoAnn Abercrombie, Realtor/Broker at Keller Williams Greater Cleveland West today at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com for a free market evaluation of what your home could sell for in this market, as well as what market plan and staging advice she can recommend to give your home the competitive edge. Check out more invaluable info at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn is your Westlake, Ohio real estate specialist, and she would love to put her knowledge and experience to work for you. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, North Ridgeville, Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs.

Lovely Avon, Ohio....What a Great Place to Call Home and Raise a Family! Check out why Home Buyers are Making Avon their First Choice...

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:17:03 -0700

With all the new construction of lovely neighborhoods of homes popping up in Avon, Ohio, it's no wonder that the little town, which was not too long ago just a small rural community known for its greenhouse growers, and once dubbed as "The Antique Headquarters of Northeast Ohio," has now shown that Avon is also quite the place to live and raise a family! Home buyers relocating from all over the country, and from all over the greater Cleveland area, are making the move to check out what all the bustling excitement is about.

Not only are the highly rated Avon Schools a great draw, but now there's so much to see and do right in Avon...and did I mention the shopping?!! Avon Commons and surrounds offers a number of major department stores, a fine furniture store, and a great selection of specialty stores, grocery stores, and then there's still the charming boutiques and historic antique shops for which Avon has long been known. And after a shopping adventure, why not sample one of our many tasty dining options? No longer just a handful of choices...now we've got just about any cuisine your cullinary tastebuds have a hankering for...from the charming & quaint, to elegant 5-star dining, to fast food...all within blocks of each other.

Check out Avon's Lake Erie Crushers baseball team play at their new All-Pro Stadium, and the new YMCA French Creek Branch recreation center is next door. This state-of-the-art 66,527 sq. ft. facility was opened Spring 2010, and offers an eight-lane competitive lap pool with spectator seating, a family gymnasium, a fitness center, a walking track and an aerobics multipurpose studio, as well as a sauna, whirlpool, wellness center and even a child-care center. But that's not all....there's discussion that Avon's new YMCA French Creek recreation center could eventually feature a Lorain County Metro Parks water park, ice hockey and skating rink, indoor soccer facility, tennis courts, youth football and soccer fields.

The new deluxe fire station, police station, post office, the fabulous library, the newer EMH medical center, are lots of other good reasons why Avon, Ohio is getting all this attention, and the ultra-easy access to I-90 allows a quick commute from Avon to Cleveland, and to nearby Crocker Park in Westlake. Truly, signs of growth and progress are popping up all over Avon, and if that's any indication of improved economic times, then we have good things in store for Avon, Ohio!

Are you interested in making charming Avon, Ohio your home? If so, the time is right, with real estate prices still very affordable, and interest rates at their lowest in years, and in time to still take advantage of the wonderful tax credit. Call JoAnn Abercrombie, Realtor/Broker at Keller Williams Greater Cleveland West. JoAnn is your resident Avon real estate specialist, and she would love to put her knowledge and experience to work for you. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, North Ridgeville, Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs.

And if you would like to sell a home, call JoAnn today for a free market evaluation of what your it could sell for in this market, as well as what market plan and staging advice she can recommend to give your home the competitive edge. Check out more invaluable info at www.joannsellshouses.com. Give JoAnn a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com.

Wow Buyers at Every Showing...Staging Gets Avon, Westlake and Lorain County OH Homes Sold!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:14:50 -0800

If you think you can't afford to hire a home stager, or redesigner, real estate broker JoAnn Abercrombie of Keller Williams Greater Cleveland West has put together a few tips to help you wow buyers at every showing, and stay ahead of the competition, by capturing potential buyers the moment they step inside your home. JoAnn knows that staging gets Avon, Westlake, and Lorain County OH homes sold, and JoAnn knows how important it is to stage your home to make it "Show Ready", and she recommends doing these things to prepare your home to sell:

1. Declutter, Depersonalize and Clean! Nothing makes a home appear bigger, brighter and wow a buyer more than for it to be clean, free of clutter and excess furnishings. Clear out the closets, the bookcases, and anything that makes it too personally yours. Nothing makes a space seem smaller than having every nook and cranny packed to the brim; having the closets jam-packed just screams to a prospective buyer that there is a lack of storage space And adding a double rod in your closets can visually enlarge even a small closet.

To get rid of all your excess furnishings, forget about having a garage sale, donate and take the tax deduction...pack up things that you haven't used in the past year, and donate them to your favorite charity...then claim the receipt and tax savings. Most likely, you'll find that you end up better off than what you could end up with after a garage sale, and with a lot less effort!

Take your family photos off the wall and off the mantle, pack them up, and that puts you one step closer to making your move. A buyer will have a much easier time visualizing himself living in your home, if he doesn't also have to imagine your family members and your memorabilia not being in the home. A clean slate, much like a model home, gives even the least imaginative buyer the ability to see himself and his things in your home. And that's what you're hoping for! And once you have cleared out all the clutter and depersonalized, clean, clean, clean, like you've never cleaned before. Every crevasse within your home should be spotless and gleaming.

2. Ditch the Offensive, and Accentuate the Positive! To wow buyers at every showing, it's important to remove all the opinionated, comical, sentimental knick-knacks, paddywacks, and put away your dog's bone! All those magnets that weigh down your refrigerator, the pink flamingos, bendovers, the glass gazing balls in the flower beds, the bobbleheads, posters, political and religious memorabilia may be great conversation pieces, but for potential buyers they may just as easily be the thing that turns them away. Don't take the chance that buyers may not share your opinions or sense of humor, instead pack those things away to display in your new digs.

Put Fido's dog bowl, his bed, the large bag of dog food, and his big chew bone out of sight, out of mind. Even the biggest pet lover may not love your pet. Shampoo carpets and upholstery, and spray some Febreeze diluted in water around to remove Fido's scent. After all, Fido doesn't stay with the home! To add a fragrant appeal to your home, nothing works better than baking some cinnamon rolls in the oven an hour before a showing, or just sprinkle cinnamon alone on a cookie sheet, and bake it on low in the oven for ten minutes before a showing, then crack the oven door open to allow the aroma to sweeten the aura of your home. It will go a long way to wow potential buyers by making your home seem ever so delightful!

3. Focus on a Focal Point! Be it a lovely fireplace, a picture window with a great view, custom built-in bookcases, flaunt it. Open the curtains, show the lovely view, and arrange the furniture so that the seating area faces the focal point. These are the features that will make the buyer say wow at every showing. Don't make the mistake of hiding your home's best features, as those are the things that will win the buyer over and will sell him on your home. Those "wow" factors are what will translate into cha-ching in your pocketbook. Add some key accent lighting to spotlight that gorgeous fireplace, or that rich built-in bookcase. Leather bound books positioned on their sides, stacked in groups of three, interspersed with a few brass or glass accent pieces, can turn a bookcase into a showcase.

Fresh flowers, tasteful accent pillows, a nice lap throw placed over the arm of a sofa, a rich area rug that adds to the continuity of the seating area, will make a room warm and inviting. And nothing shows off those focal points better than does a fresh neutral coat of paint on the walls, in tones of off-white to mocha with cream, which will likely compliment any buyer's furnishings and taste.

4. Make Yourself Scarce for the Big Event! Don't try to be a wall-flower, and hang around for the showing. No one feels comfortable lingering long in a home when the homeowner is lurking just around the corner. And it's nearly impossible to get buyers to open up and chat about your home with each other and their agent if you're within earshot. That may be the very best opportunity their agent will have to sell them on your home's great points, and you want that time to work for you. Paint the mood, by slipping on some light jazz music, no vocals, in the background, for showings. Wow the buyers at every showing, make your home hard to leave, and maybe they won't want to!

But JoAnn Abercrombie stresses that even the best-staging can't make up for over-pricing your home. For more tips on staging your home to sell, check out JoAnn's staging tips and how staging gets Avon, Westlake and Lorain County OH homes sold, as well as more invaluable info at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 25 years, in the Avon, Westlake, N Ridgeville Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs. JoAnn would be happy to give you a free market evaluation of what your home should sell for in today's real estate market. Give her a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com .

Greater Cleveland and Lorain County Home Buyers and Sellers...BEWARE!! Watch out for HIDDEN JUNK FEES in the Small Print!

JoAnn Abercrombie (RE/MAX® Pros) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:15:05 -0800

FINALLY...Tom Meyer, a well-respected Investigative Reporter for the local NBC news channel here in the greater Cleveland area, finally brought to light an issue that's been bothering me for years...the so-called "Administrative Fee" hidden in the small print of the real estate contract that many of the large local real estate brokerage firms have been sliding under the radar for years, charging their customers an extra $250 to $500 per transaction side...with most clients not even realizing they were even being charged this fee. (see Tom Meyer's video report at http://www.wkyc.com/news/investigative/investigative_article.aspx?storyid=130611&catid=230 ).

As far as I can recall, this fee has always been ambiguous, and no one seems to have been able to explain what this fee is really for, what service it covers. Apparently, Tom Meyer, in all his investigative efforts wasn't able to uncover any real explanation for the fee, either, other than it's an unlawful HIDDEN Fee, and is supposedly to cover the real estate brokerages' expense to store the contract files, per IRS requirements. Well, the brokerages have been, for as long as I can remember, required to maintain files for tax purposes, for at least 3 years or more. But all of a sudden these brokerage firms have gotten the brainstorm that their clients should compensate them for this IRS requirement, as if the clients are getting some benefit for the brokerage company storing the files. And the fact that the fees are buried in the fine print of the listing and purchase contracts, rather than being readily disclosed to the client, is where my real bone of contention lies.

For years, I have had a serious problem working for any broker who charges this bogus hidden, junk fee. In fact, one broker I worked for back in 2003 started charging the fee, and I told the broker I didn't feel right about it. He said there was nothing that could be done about it, that "corporate" required it. And when I told my clients about the new fee, naturally they wanted to cross it off in the contract, and then my broker informed me that I would be responsible to pay it, if the client refused to pay. That it would be deducted out of my commission check! Well, needless to say, I beat feet to move my license to a broker who did not charge this bogus fee, and where I would not have to try to explain this ridiculous fee to my clients. If I would not personally feel I would want to pay that fee, if I were the buyer or seller of a home, then how could I feel right expecting or trying to justify the fee to my clients?

Tom Meyer furthermore stated that according to IT experts, it costs pennies to store these files on a computer disc, which is a far cry from the $250 to $500 per transaction side that these brokers have been charging their clients to cover the file storage costs. According to Tom Meyer, in his story, four companies were shown to be charging these bogus fees. He mentioned them by name, and even drove the point home further showing the companies' yard signs, painting an indellible visual reminder, in case of audio failure, I guess. His report found that the local Coldwell Banker, the local Century 21, as well as two large local firms, Russell Realtors and Howard Hanna, have all been charging these bogus fees. He went on to say that a large anti-trust law suit is pending regarding this, and when he asked those brokerages to respond, only one agreed to make a statement. That broker had their attorney state that they were in the process of getting the anti-trust lawsuit dismissed. (It sounded like a weak excuse, with nothing to back up this supposed dismissal.) The attorney made no other comment.

Well, if nothing else, at least, the simple fact that this story was aired on tv, and hopefully with enough people seeing it last evening (it couldn't have been on at a better time...immediately following the highly watched Olympics Opening Ceremony!)...well, if nothing else, at least hopefully the general public now has heard about the bogus fee, and if that knowledge causes them to direct their business to real estate firms who do not charge these bogus fees, then that's a good thing! And apparently, I'm not the only realtor who is opposed to the fees...it was realtors who brought the fees to Tom Meyer's attention, and which initiated his investigative report! I believe that these brokerages have some "'splainin'" to do to their clients, as well as to the courts, if and when this case does come to trial.

This report, if nothing else, will make these brokers at least accountable for what they are charging the clients that they are supposed to have a fiduciary relationship with. And in the meantime, hopefully enough of the public has heard of this report, and will choose to take their business to firms that do not charge these junk fees. There's nothing that will make the brokers more honorable than when they are hit in their wallets! So, hopefully, if for no other reason than that, these brokers will be forced to rethink charging the bogus fees. And that would be a good thing, for sure!

We at Keller Williams Greater Cleveland West do not charge this so-called administrative fee, nor any hidden fees. We truly believe in honoring an above-board attitude in how we do business. Please call me any time, for straight-forward real estate advice, when thinking of buying or selling a home. I'd love the opportunity to help! JoAnn Abercrombie 440-781-1924. Or check out my real estate tips and MLS Property Search at www.joannsellshouses.com. JoAnn has been a top-producing real estate broker for over 26 years, in the Avon, Westlake, N Ridgeville Ohio area, serving all of Lorain County and the western Cleveland suburbs. JoAnn would be happy to give you a free market evaluation of what your home should sell for in today's real estate market. Give her a call at 440-781-1924 or email her at joannlovesrealestate@yahoo.com .