Canton, Ohio and Stark County Realtor | Joey Marino » Real Estate Blog

Ohioans Pay Less for Homeowners Insurance than Nation

joeymarino — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:51:08 +0000

The average homeowner’s insurance in Ohio for 2007 was only $548, while the national average was at 816. This again helps prove Ohio is a cheaper place to live!

Source: Canton Repository http://ow.ly/16f763

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Akron Ohio Among Top 10 Cities to Buy a Home on Today Show

joeymarino — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:16:34 +0000

If you watched the Today Show this morning you would have seen Barbara Corcoran, a real estate consultant, mention Akron Ohio as one of the top 10 cities to buy a home. Reasons she mentions are the median price is 10% less than 2007, and great jobs are moving into the area. Akron’s sister cities Canton and Massillon are less than a 30 minute drive and offer even better pricing and an easy commute. View the video below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Look for Northeast Ohio Homes for Sale on Twitter

joeymarino — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:32:50 +0000

If you are looking for a home in Northeastern Ohio and would like to be automatically updated of new listings in your area, now you can with twitter!

It’s super easy! Here’s how:

Go to @NEOhioHomes twitter account.
Or search for certain areas with search.twitter.com with searches like this #realestate #canton
Follow @NEOhioHomes or add the search to your RSS reader.

If you want to be updated by email, sign up for my free search app.

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Canton Ohio Realtor

joeymarino — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:44:35 +0000

Canton, Ohio is a great community with lots to offer. There are many wonderful neighborhoods in and around this city. Canton is located in the center of Stark County and is the largest city in Stark. The home of the Football Hall of Fame, our city and surrounding areas have high school sports teams that are the envy of the nation. Many successful businesses are headquartered here and this is a great place to conduct business. Conveniently located near Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Youngstown, and Pittsburg you are always a short car trip from many other metropolitan areas. There are terrific parks and amusement venues all over, so you can always find something to do. Our schools are nationally ranked and provide the nation with an excellent work force. No matter what your tastes are, there is bound to be a restaurant you will love nearby. Canton boasts a large number of food and drink establishments so you’ll never go hungry. Our cost of living is low, and our pride is high. Canton is an great place to live!

My family and I have been serving this community for almost half a decade. If you are looking for the best real estate team in Canton, look no further. We know the area unlike any other. We can help you discover Canton and help Canton discover you.

Buy Canton Property <~ ~ ~> Sell Canton Property

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Massillon Ohio Realtor

joeymarino — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:19:08 +0000

Although I am based out of Canton, Ohio. I find myself doing business in Massillon just as often. While Canton and Massillon might be football rivals, they are somewhat similar communities. Massillon features many wonderful neighborhoods, places of business, fantastic parks, great restaurants and some of the best historical architecture in Stark County. Take a bike ride on the towpath, drive down historical Fourth St., or take a walk along the shops downtown. Massillon is a great community and a great place to live.

Whether you are buying or selling real estate in Massillon, I can work for you. I am just down the road!

Buy Massillon Real Estate <~~> Sell Massillon Real Estate

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First Time Home Buyer’s Guide – Step 3 – The fun begins!

joeymarino — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:24:25 +0000

If you haven’t read part 1 or part 2 of this series, please do so now.

The Buyer’s Agent:
So, now you know how much home you can afford and you’ve saved up for a down payment. The time has come for you to find your first home!

Before you start searching, you want to find a buyer’s agent. It is important for you to have your own representation when purchasing a home. If you call the agents that have the property listed, they are obligated to be looking out for their seller’s best interest. The main reason agents put their names on their listings’ signs and ads, is because their commission gets doubled if they sell their own listing.

You can get a buyer’s agent, like myself, absolutely free because the commission is paid for by the sellers and is split. Not many people know this. It is their obligation and duty to make sure that you get the best deal possible and negotiate with the selling agent for you. A good buyer’s agent can also help you find a property that suits your needs because they am constantly watching the market and know what you are looking for. They also have tools to update you on potential properties automatically via email.

Probably the biggest benefit of having a buyer’s agent, is that you can tell them what properties you would like to see, and they can show them all to you at one predetermined time. Otherwise, you would have to call every single agent, set up multiple appointments at times convenient for all of them, and meet motivated salesmen trying to double their commission.

One little known fact, as a buyer you are responsible for turning on utilities and inspecting the property with professionals. You usually have 5-15 days to do this in. A good buyers agent can make sure this gets done correctly and on time.

Another thing to keep in mind is, most agencies charge a transaction fee. This is a $175-$200 fee, in Canton, Ohio area, that is charged at closing and is totally not necessary. My company and I do not charge this fee, saving you money. Ask your potential agent if their brokerage charges this.

The Search:
Of course, the internet is a great way to look for a home. This generation of home buyers is lucky because we can view lots of details about a property right from home. It used to be, you had to sit down with an agent at their office and flip through a black and white “catalog” of homes. I can still remember my parents doing just this. Here are a few sites to look for a home:

Tips for finding the perfect home:

In this buyer’s market, it’s not a bad idea to search a little above your price range and offer lower.
Determine exactly what you want and need. Bedroom count, garage spaces, basement, large kitchen, dining room, air conditioning, first floor laundry, etc.
Keep resale value in mind. A three bedroom home is easier to sell than a two bedroom and so on. Also, a pool can be nice, but those with small children generally don’t buy houses with a pool.
Consider maintenance on the property. If you have a 2 acre yard, remember you have to mow that. Long driveways need plowed. Wood siding needs painted every few years.
Watch the taxes and keep in mind which areas are higher than others.
If you have any questions about a property, ask your buyer’s agent to find out.

The Showing:
This is where the fun begins. When you are ready to look at your first home, it’s as easy as a phone call and a drive. You can probably get 2 or 3 showings in an hour depending on the distance from one another. Make sure all parties involved in the purchase go to the showing. Look in every nook and cranny to make sure you notice anything wrong.

Try to imagine yourself living in each home. Think about where you want to put your furniture, what color you would paint the walls, what is the best angle for viewing the TV. Vocalize what you like and don’t like, this way your agent gets a better idea of what you are looking for. Take the kids along and ask them which one is their favorite. Imagine how you would decorate or where you would work on the bike. Wonder if there is enough room in the driveway or sidewalk to teach the kids how to ride a bike. Ask yourself if you could see yourself living in this home 5 or 10 years down the road. Could you host thanksgiving dinner or host a euchre game? What would you change about the landscaping, or would you leave it like it is? Think about the dog (or future dog) and if there’s enough room for him/her to run around. Could you hold a family barbeque? Could you throw a football in the back yard? Most importantly, could you live there?

While it is a fun process to look for a home, it can be a little nerve wrecking. This is probably going to be the largest investment you’ve ever made. Often, first time home buyers get so nervous about buying the right property for them, they over analyze every home, and never end up finding anything they like. Remember that this is only your first home, and you can sell any time and move on to bigger and better. One thing to keep in mind is that when the real estate market bounces back, you could be sitting on a lot of equity because you bought during a low priced market.

Call or email me today to buy your first home! 330-412-2221 joey@whippleauction.com

Part 4: The offer! – Coming Soon!

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First Time Home Buyer’s Guide – Part 2

joeymarino — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:17:59 +0000

If you missed part 1 of this blog series, please read it before reading on.

Part 2: Getting pre-qualified with a lender.

Ok, You now have the small amount of money it takes to buy a house. That’s the hardest part! This next step is crucial… unless you can pay cash for your property. Please note, it’s going to take 30-60 days to close on a property once you have an accepted offer, and most of this time is spent getting your loan approved with the bank.

Determining your affordability

You are going to want to determine what kind of home you can afford comfortably. The easiest way to do this, is decide what kind of monthly payment you want to make. Your monthly payment is going to consist of principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and possibly mortgage insurance (depending if you put down less than 20%).

The latest interest rate I saw was at 5.5%, so for every $1000 you borrow, your principal and interest will be $5.68 at a 30 year term.

So, let’s do the math:

          $100,000 purchase price
          -    $3,500 down payment
        -------------
             $96,500 loan amount
         /    $1,000
        -------------
             $96.50
        x      $5.68
       -------------
              $548.12 principal and interest per month

Don’t forget taxes and insurance (which vary for each property), and mortgage insurance.

Let’s estimate based on one of my listings in plain township.

          $548.12  P&I
           $76.31  Monthly taxes
           $37.50  Homeowner's insurance
      +    $50.00  Mortgage insurance
       ------------
            $711.93  estimated monthly payment

All this can be worked backwards so you know how much home you can afford based on the maximum total monthly payment. So, if you don’t want to pay more than X dollars a month, then you can afford a Y thousand dollar home.

Choosing the lender
There are a few options out there for borrowers. Your first option is to decide whether you are going to borrow from a bank or mortgage broker. The main difference between the two is that a mortgage broker usually has a wide variety of loan programs from many different or a select few lending institutions. Where as a bank has a select set of loan programs from one lending institution; the bank they work for.

What does this mean? If you go into your local bank and ask for a mortgage, they are going to sell you a their loan. Your payments will be going to that bank. If you go to a reputable mortgage brokerage, they can shop from a wide variety of lenders to give you the best rate and terms. This also gives the mortgage broker the flexibility of finding the right program for your unique situation. Mortgage brokerages typically hire services from local small businesses like appraisers, helping the local economy, where as corporate banks typically keep everything in-house. I would recommend using a mortgage broker because they have less overhead so they tend to have lower costs, more competitive rates, are less restricted, and are more personable and understanding.

Make the call
Now you need to determine if a lender will sell you a loan based on your credit scores, household income, and other factors. Call your friendly neighborhood loan originator and ask them to pre-qualify you for a loan. This will take a few minutes of your time where they will ask you about how much you make, collect social security numbers, and the like. It is important that you answer honestly because you will have to prove everything you say when it is time to get approved for your loan. They will punch your numbers into their fancy computers and check your credit. Then they will let you know what you qualify up to and quote you a current interest rate. You could request a good faith estimate from these lenders to see their costs so you can compare to other estimates, however you will need to take some documentation and go to their office so they can accurately create one for you.

Whipple Financial Services, LLC is a great mortgage broker. Call Joe at 330-477-6762. ~~~ MB.802575.000

If you don’t qualify right away, don’t get discouraged. Whipple will work with you and point you in the right direction to be qualified ASAP at no charge.

Now, you are ready to start looking for a home, and this is where I come in. I can’t wait to show you how exciting this part is.

Step 3: The FUN begins… Finding your dream home!

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