Carolyn's Blog

There are so many different things I just LOVE about living in Mentor, Ohio.  It's such a pretty city, so many things to see and do.  Trees are abundant in Mentor.  I am sure that's one of the reasons why Greater Cleveland... of which Mentor is a part... is referred to as The Forest City.  (Did you know that ?)

Mentor is also on the southern edge of what has become once again... beautiful Lake Erie.  Thirty or forty years ago... very few would have called it that... but wow... Lake Erie has come back "in style."

With all that water, and with all those trees... Mentor also has more than it's share of birds.  And Ducks.  And... Geese.  Of course, geese fly south for the winter, and north for the summer. At least they used to.

Somehow or other... with the climate change that is going on... and with Cleveland more likely than not to have Winters like the one that just ended... (which really wasn't much of a Winter, at all)... somehow many of the Canadian Geese that used to fly south from Canada... and used to bypass Northeastern Ohio... have chosen not only to stop and rest a bit in Mentor... but many, many of them have chosen Mentor to be their home.

I have heard some Mentor'ites... quite a few, actually... who don't really appreciate having all these Canadian Geese around.  I think the main reason is because of all those little "presents" that the geese leave behind.  But hey, it's free fertilizer, so why complain.  Keep Mentor Green !

About a week ago I was driving down Mentor Avenue heading towards the lovely colonial city of Painesville... and stopped to have lunch at Panera Bread.  And yes, that is where I met my new little friend.  I think her name is Gertrude.  Yeah, that's it.  Gertrude T. Goose.

Trudie stopped waddling around when she saw me park, and we chatted awhile.  We had a nice "visit" actually... and would have spent more time together if it weren't for the rain.

Please... do me a favor.  If you happen to be out near that Panera Bread on Mentor Avenue, and see Gertrude T. Goose and her friends... please tell her that Carolyn said Hi !

I'll probably be down the street in my office on the south side of Mentor Avenue (just east of 615).  It's that absolutely GORGEOUS brand-new RE/MAX Office... RE/MAX Traditions.  And... if you need help finding a "goose" of your own, and a home with a nice back yard to put it in... please call me... Carolyn Kolba... at (440) 567-7211.

It almost seems like it was just last week.  Or maybe even just last month.

You know.  You remember it well.  All that SNOW !

Here in Mentor, Ohio we had snow just about up to our eyeballs.  Okay... you really had to be a "short person" to actually have the snow be even close to your eyeballs... but we really DID have lots and lots of snow last winter.

During those snowy times last year, I was lucky enough to be able to bring in some firewood from the garage, and get a roaring, toasty-warm fire going for me and my puppies... CiCi and Winston.

I'd sit in my favorite chair, with my favorite winter quilt or afghan on my lap, and my puppies on my lap right on top of the afghan.  Sometimes when it was extra snowy, they even wanted to get under "my blankie..." but that was rare.

My point here IS... so many of the homes in Mentor, Ohio have fireplaces.  And I don't mean those hokey metal-box fireplaces that are so small you have to pick and choose the logs you bring in... so they'll fit.

But yes... so many of the homes that are available on the market right now DO have fireplaces.

So, if you are in your apartment... just like you were during last winter, and the winter before, and the winter before that... we need to get together.  With a little notice, I am sure I can set aside a time when we can get together.  Before winter sets in... don't you think it's about time that you decided to spend this coming winter in a warm, toasty home... in front of your very own fireplace ?

We can do that.  Just give Carolyn Kolba (that's me...) a call at (440) 567-7211... and let's go find you a home with a fireplace.  Just think how glad you'll be when the snow gets so high it's up to your eye-balls !

I want to share with you an absolutely beautiful home I am marketing for my sellers.  It's located at 1164 Waterfront Place, Painesville Township, Ohio   44077.  It's in a lovely area of Painesville Township, and used to be a former New Home Builder's Model Home.

I just love the colors on the outside... so "homey" looking.  This two-story colonial is approximately 2512 sq ft in size... and is being marketed for $325,000.

When the home was the builder's model... it, of course, was loaded with many of the builder's extras and optional features.

Once my folks moved in... they added some additional features that made the home even more awesome than it was as a builder's model.  The home looks so great, you might think the sellers were also professional home stagers... it came out so nice.

The home features granite counter tops, ceramic tile floors... and newer stainless steel appliances.  The remainder of the first level flooring is all beautiful hardwood flooring.

The first floor Family Room/Great Room has an awesome fireplace... with a stain-grade wood mantle and surround, and ceramic tile facing and hearth.

The 1st floor utility room has newer appliances which are included.  There are custom window treatments throughout which are also staying with the home.  Just off the foyer is a first floor home office... just perfect for anyone who does a lot of working from home.  If you spend a lot of time online... it is so cool to have one room where everything you need... is right there.

Outside... there's some really great landscaping.  There's also a rear patio, a full sprinkler system, and additional custom outside lighting.  (Remember... it used to be a model home !)

As the address implies, it's just a short walk to the beach.  How cool to sit under the pavilion and watch the waves roll in... or watch the kids playing on the playground.

I'm getting kind of "wordy" here... but I could just go on and on.  Obviously the best thing to do is give me a call... Carolyn Kolba... at 440-567-7211.  I would love to set aside a time where we could get together and see the home.

This really great home in Painesville is one that I am so excited about.  I am marketing it for the sellers, who are, of course, also very excited.

It's really sharp... kind of cape-cod'ish looking from the outside.... with lots of city charm !  It's three years old, and although it is a single, detached home, it is technically termed a "ranch condo."  Don't you just LOVE that three-sided bay window in the front?

It has an over-sized garage... the builder called it a two-and-one-half car garage... but where you'll get another half-car to put in there... I don't know.  So... I am guessing it would be perfect for a whole bunch of storage.

Having a home in such a nice quiet area, and being on a cul-de-sac... and all those trees... means lots and lots of privacy.  There are lots of trees all around the neighborhood.  Full sidewalks, of course, and all front-entry garages.

Although there are many really cool features in this home, the kitchen is one of my favorites.  Just oodles of cabinets, a really great gas range, hard-surface counter tops, and a range vent-a-hood.  All the appliances remain.

The laundry room is spacious, and included a full-sized washer and dryer, and extra cabinets for even more storage.  The landscaping is beautiful, and the maintenance fee of $115 per month is considered low.  It has central air, of course, and a nice private rear patio that overlooks a wooded area.

For your very own personal tour... please give Carolyn Kolba a call at my direct number... 440-567-7211.  I think you will be very pleased at how much low-maintenance home you can get for such a teeny price.

Oh, I just know he's gonna see his shadow.  And I know if Mr or Ms GroundHog does... that it's gonna mean six more weeks of THIS !  I don't know about you, but I have had just about as much of this kind of fun and any sane person could ever want or need.

Therefore... I am going to suggest that everyone on Active Rain who agrees with me... make sure you have some candles ready to light tomorrow, Monday, February 1st.  The next day... as you probably know... is GroundHog Day.

How about you ?  Have you had enough snow for this year yet ?  Mentor, Ohio is just east of Cleveland, and we get a lot of what we call "lake effect snow."  And this year, for some reason... we have had a lot of it.

So... get those candles lit tomorrow, puhleeze.  And puhleeze Mr or Ms GroundHog.  Take it easy on us...

Oh, what oh what is a girl supposed to do ?  This is typical of what I have been so used to seeing over the past month or six weeks here in the beautiful city and countryside in Mentor, Ohio.

The leaves have been just gorgeous.  The trees... just brilliant with the changing of the leaves... well... it could not have been prettier if it had been painted by an artist.

But, then again... it HAS been painted by one of my all-time favorite artists... Mother Nature !  She uses such beautiful colors.

The last six weeks or so has been such a great time to take walks... again, both in the neighborhood here in Mentor, and all around the beautiful countryside here in NorthEastern Ohio.

Such beauty is so hard to say good-bye to.  But it appears that I may have to be using sad words of farewell to these beautiful colors all too soon.

It appears that Mother Nature is up to her old tricks again.  Last weekend was Halloween, and it was so great seeing all the cute little neighborhood kids... and some of the bigger "kids" as well... all decked out in their costumes.

Door to door they went... with their yearly chants of "Trick or Treat."

From what I have been hearing on the local TV and Radio weather forecasts, however, it sounds like Mother Nature is going to be taking away her treats, and playing some of her at times cold-natured tricks on us.

Would you believe it ?  The local weather guys and chicks are telling us there is actually a chance that it could SNOW this weekend.

I have checked some of the weather history around Mentor for previous years.  And of course, that nasty old "lake effect" may just sneak up on us... and drop a nice heavy, wet blanket of this stuff they call "snow" on us. 

I really do NOT want to spend part of my days tomorrow or Sunday clearing away the snow... even IF I get an extra hour of time... (which I was hoping to spend sleeping).

I know Active Rain covers all different parts of our beautiful country.  Has anyone else felt Mother Nature threatening to wave her Icy Fingers your way yet ?  Just curious as to if I am going to be the only one shivering when I thought I would be raking leaves.

So often when I am talking to young buyers, one of their primary complaints is that they think they don't have enough money to buy a home.  They have all heard the stories about how loans are harder to get, that down payment requirements have increased, and lots of other scary stuff.

This is where my past experience as a Realtor can be extremely helpful...  both to first time buyers, and to just about anyone who is buying a home in today's market.

If you can come up with about 3.5% of the selling price for a down payment, that SHOULD be just about all the money you will need to buy your new home, and get you moved in.

Why so little ?  Well, sure, you will need closing costs... and closing costs generally run another three to four percent of the purchase price.  But, instead of having that problem DOUBLE the amount of money you need... asking the Seller to PAY your closing costs instead of making a "price offer" can take care of that.

If you would like to purchase a home, and take advantage of some of the great prices on homes currently for sale, and ALSO take advantage of interest rates that are LOWER than most folks can even remember... when we write your offer, we can ask the Seller to pay your closing costs... and then, start packing !

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Carolyn Kolba, Mentor and Lake County, Ohio Real Estate Expert, can be reached at (440) 567-7211.  Call Carolyn today, and ask her how YOU can buy a home, and have the Seller pay your closing costs !

In a recently published study, a consumer advocate who is also a spokesperson for Federal Loan Modification Law Center, released a list dispelling the top 5 myths about loan modification.  I think Ralph's study is quite valuable, considering today's housing situation, so I am sharing some of his great ideas with you.

My goal is to better educate homeowners in the Mentor, and Lake County, Ohio area who might be facing the prospect of losing their home to foreclosure.  The following list clears up some of the most common misconceptions surrounding what lenders refer to as the loan modification process.

Myth# 1:  My bank wants me out of my house. My bank wants my home.

Wrong:  Banks and other lending institutions do not want to foreclose. They make more money if you make your payments.

Myth# 2:  My credit score is so bad I won't qualify.

Wrong:  Loan modification adjusts the terms and perhaps reduces the balance of a loan you already have. This is not about refinacing and applying for a new loan.

Myth# 3:  I am not late on my mortgage payments so I won't qualify.

Wrong:  Early on you had to be 61 days delinquent in order to qualify. The truth is the eligibility requirements are constantly changing and differ among lenders.

Myth# 4:  I would be better off walking away or declaring bankruptcy than modifying my loan.

Wrong:  Walking away from the home and filing for bankruptcy are certainly 2 options, but they are rarely the best options when your facing foreclosure.

Myth# 5:  It's too late.

Wrong:  As long as you still live in the home and it hasn't been sold at a foreclosure auction- you may still have time to work out a loan modification with your lender.

If you would like a full copy of this report, either call me or email me, Carolyn Kolba, at (440) 567-7211, or let me email it to you. There is a lot more to this report and more information available.

If you know of anyone either heading for or already in a financial situation with their home, please have them contact me for a free consultation. There are alternatives to many of these problems.

What an incredible place Mentor, Ohio is.  What a great place to live and raise a family, or to just buy a home for yourself.  Why do I say that?  Here is some proof !

I was reading some real estate articles this morning, and came across the house below.  It is NOT located in Mentor.  Not even in OHIO.  Where is it?  I will share the answer in a few paragraphs, but first... some "different" info.

How much would a home like this cost in Mentor ?  Well... first of all, this home is much larger than it appears.  It looks like a home that could be in "Old Mentor" near Mentor Avenue and Rt 615.  Or, it could be a home between 20 and 84... perhaps between 306 and 615... on either side of Great Lakes Mall.

IF... it was about as big as this one looks like it might be... 1,800 square feet... and IF it had a basement, and was on a typical nice-sized lot for those two areas I mentioned, the price could be perhaps around $150,000.  Maybe even higher.  There occasionally ARE homes like this that "pop up" at this price in those two areas, but they usually sell VERY QUICKLY.

Or... how about if this home was actually "larger" than it looks in the picture ?  This actual home... the one pictured above... is pretty large.  it actually has 3,567 square feet... which makes it "huge" as far as I'm concerned.  So, lets play with this again, and just say that this home is on about an acre of land, and is somewhere in South Mentor or Concord.

If that were the case... how much would it be?  Maybe $220,000 ?  Maybe a bit less ?  Maybe a bit more ?  It could go either way... depending on that old number one Real Estate Rule of Location, Location, Location.

Ok... time to let the "cat out of the bag" here.  This home pictured above... sits near, but not in, the California city of Santa Clara.

It has, as I said above, 3,567 square feet.  It also sits on slightly more than one acre. 

And... the price ?  Sit down, now, and hold on to the chair rails.  The actual price of the above home... sitting near Santa Clara, CA... is Five Hundred Ninety-Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Dollars.  Yes,... $599,900 !

Wow, folks.  What an absolutely great area we live in... here in Mentor, Ohio.  We can get so much more for our home-buying dollars.  We have such beautiful homes here, and they are so incredibly well-priced when we compare them to prices in other parts of the country.

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Carolyn Kolba, Mentor and Lake County, Ohio Real Estate Expert, can be reached at (440) 567-7211.  Call Carolyn, and mention this home you saw on her Active Rain blog... and see if she can find one for you... just as pretty as this one is !

This article is just one in a series of comparisons of homes in other parts of the country... and is designed to show by comparison what great home values we have here in Mentor, Ohio, and in Lake County, as well.

Occasionally folks will ask me a question that we all here from time to time.  I am asked... "When IS the best time to put my home up for sale ?"

The answer to this question, is similar to the answer to most questions.  "It all depends."

There are so many reasons why people move. 

If we started with the first of the year, we could go completely through the entire year and come up with a great reason why "that particular month" would be a great time to move.

Want to move, and get settled in time for your kids to go to school?  If so, now is really the time to do something.

If your home is priced "within reason"... which means it is priced right about where it will appraise when the mortgage company sends out their appraiser... it should sell fairly quickly in the general Mentor, Ohio real estate market. 

If the condition of your home makes it appear roomy, pleasant, and gives off a feeling of "yes, I could live here"... then your home should sell fairly quickly... in the Mentor, Ohio real estate market, or in any market.

Seriously... if you and your family would like to be settled by September... NOW is the time to act. 

The longer you wait, sure, it can still be done, but if you wait too long... things can get "kinda crunchy" as far as timing is concerned.

Give me a call at (440) 567-7211... and let's set aside a time to get together and see what we... you and me... need to do to get all of your "moving ducks" in a row.

I've been helping folks get their "real estate ducks" in a row for over thirty years now.  I would be pleased to help you with yours.

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Carolyn Kolba, Professional Real Estate Duck Herder, can be reached at (440) 567-7211.