It’s a great time to SELL a modern home!

 

 

People keep asking me, what is going on in the market?  Where are the Spring listings?  In our office, we are noticing pretty good activity in the market.  Lots of showings, offers going back and forth, the usual.  But something is missing.  The new listings!  I had more activity in January with new listings than I am seeing now.  I have buyers who would pounce on the right house if it came on the market.  But I think would-be sellers are listening to all of the negative press the real estate market in general is getting and deciding to wait to put their houses up for sale. 

 

The MODERN market has always kind of been its own thing.  These are very specific homes for very specific buyers.  People who buy modern homes are not going to settle for just anything.  We just need more choices out there!  If a house is priced right, it will sell quickly.  No, we’re not getting the crazy escalating prices that we were seeing a couple of years ago.  But Cincinnati has always had a relatively good housing market.  As a matter of fact,

 

  Money Magazine Names Cincinnati One of the Six

“Best Places to Buy Home These Days”

 

Money Magazine released a list of the 6 “best places to buy a home these days.”  The website reports that the list is of “The 6 cities where home prices are likely to rise the most – or fall the least – in the next 12 months.”

 

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/real_estate/0804/gallery.best_buy_home.moneymag/index.html

 

Money reports that: “The city’s manufacturing-heavy economy should benefit from the falling dollar. Commercial building is up, and high-end developments are moving in.”

“It is great news considering the national trends.  The ranking confirms the strength of our housing market.  The Cincinnati Area remains a great place to buy a home, which is one of the reasons why we are so attractive for  business investment,” Mayor Mark Mallory said.

 

If you own a modern home and are looking to sell, call me!  People are looking for cool houses. Now is not only a great time to buy, it’s a great time to sell!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pimp my house?

There are a lot of perks to living in a modern house.  You get to be on a first name basis with your roofer (Hi, Larry!), your kids’ friends think you live like movie stars, and occasionally you get a knock on the door from a location scout.  Our first knock came about 4 years ago, around the time MCM houses started showing up in everything from allergy pill commercials to Windex ads. 

 

Turns out, there are a lot of ad agencies and publications in Cincy that jumped on the modern bandwagon and use local homes as their backdrops.  It’s 50’s style cool for state of the art products of today.  Go figure!

 

And today, I did it again.  I pimped my house.  I am sitting downstairs as a photographer, stylist, hair & make-up person and some models are upstairs shooting away.  The fee they pay to use the house (complete with ‘period’ props) goes into my ‘house fund’ for upcoming improvements.  I think a cork floor in the master bedroom is next.

 

The way I see it, it is a win-win.  Modern houses get exposure and my house gets improved.  I don’t know how long the public’s fixation with MCM will last, but for me it’s just another adventure in the life of a modern homeowner.

IKEA and the modern home

I went to Ikea on opening day.  I don’t know quite why I did it, other than I knew it was crazy and I tried not to go, but I felt the pull and I gave in.  It helped that I went with a friend who, due to a recent back injury, has a temporary handicap parking pass.  We zipped right in to the main parking lot right about 1:00.  No problem!

The store was crowded with Ikea virgins, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing, but if you build it…….  I also spotted a few Ikea veterans, like myself, who heard the call.  I could just tell (OK, and I knew some of them).

I made my first of many pilgrimages to Ikea in 1988 when I was pregnant with my (now 19 year old!) son.  On that trip to the Philadelphia store, we bought porch furniture and a changing table for a the baby.  To the people who say that Ikea is poor quality and disposable, I have this to say:  That furniture is still on our porch (holding its own right next to a classic Saarinen table w/ Bertoia chairs – see photo below) and the changing table has been ‘remodeled’ and is now serving as a desk in our kids’ art studio. 

As I walked around the store, I couldn’t help but be saddened that I will never again feel that particular rush you get from a long road trip and finally spotting the blue and yellow Swedish flag and ginormous blue building (sigh!).  But it’s here, and it’s ours.  And it’s only 10 miles from my house!

While my Ikea finds will no longer seem so special (sigh again!), I can’t imagine having a modern house in the 21st Century without Ikea to fill in the gaps that classic mid century can’t fill.  Be it media storage or accessories for the laundry room, it’s cool factor with a purpose.

Never again will someone have to live in a turn of the (last) century Hyde Park house with tiny closets.  Ikea wardrobes are here!!  Add an entire wall of storage to any room for under $1000.  Re-do a kitchen for $5000.  Now, anything is possible!  I just need to remind myself that we’re incredibly lucky to have our own Ikea and that it will always be cool no matter how used to it we get!

fantastic west side listing!!

 

This new listing has just come to my attention.  I was in it about 2 years ago when it last sold and it was surprisingly cool.  West Side MCM’s are kind of rare – when I have a west side buyer, the right house is not always on the market.  Believe me, this is the right house for anyone looking for a modest sized modern! It’s on nearly an acre.  And are you ready for this?  It’s only $129,900!!  I’m serious!  PLEASE contact me right away if this is what you are looking for.  I am withholding the listing from my website so other agents don’t poach it for their clients.  It’s happening a lot (sad, but true!).  susan@cincinnatimodern.com or call 513.886.7841

what you get for the money – cincinnati style

Last year about this time, a crew from HGTV’s ‘What You Get For the Money’ spent a week in Cincinnati filming houses to feautre in upcoming episodes.  They contacted me because ’viewers like magazine ready interiors and mid century modern homes.’  Who knew?!  I guess it’s no accident that so many commercials are shot in modern houses!  Anyway, it was kind of a thrill because I got to hook them up with 3 great mid century modern houses in town (…including mine) and I got to do the commentary!  After thinking these episodes were never going to air, I finally got word that the first one will be on this coming Sunday, November 18, at 11:30 p.m. on HGTV, episode #607.  I believe it’s about a 3-4 minute segment that should be on toward the end of the show.  It’s the home of Kari and Mike Keifling in Madeira.  Mike is an architect with FRCH and their home was also featured in the February 2007 issue of Cincinnati Magazine. 

Upcoming episode #703 will feature my house and #708 features the Amberley Village home of Rick Kay and Jim Kelly.  No air dates are set for those yet, but they told me to expect them in January.  I’ll let you know!  Other Cincy homes were also shot while they were here, including a grand old North Avondale estate and a downtown condo.  I’m not sure when they will air.  The weather was absolutely horrible while they were here – windy, cold, rainy, gray.  The segment producer and the photographer were a lot of fun and kept wondering why the show’s producers sent them to Cincinnati in December!  Anyway, I’m curious to see the city scenes they got to spotlight Cincy!

More info is available on the What You Get For the Money website: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hgftm/episode/0,2496,HGTV_21876_53121,00.html

the right house in the wrong(?) place

OK, I have to admit.  This one has me stumped.  The Armco Techbuilt House in Middletown is getting a ton of attention from folks on the east and west coasts (don’t believe me?  check out the lotta living message board: http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=60117#60117 ), but no attention locally.  Why?  A modern Realtor in Colorado sent me this very pertinent article the other day about how location affects value.  We all know that rule, right?  Location, location, location……but with architecture, sacrificing location for style is often a great way to get in the market at an affordable price (see the whole article: http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/real-estate/2007/10/19/Inexpensive-Architecture ).  People on the coasts get it.  Why don’t we?  This house has to be the single best value I have seen in an architecturally and historically significant home – and as an added bonus, it’s in a contextually perfect setting in a very nice mid century neighborhood in North Middletown, that perfect kind of location for couples where one half works in Dayton (or Oxford) and the other in Cincy.  It may be off your radar screen, but it’s not so far off the beaten path!  So I ask, where have all the modern folks gone?

Link to listing: http://cincy.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Cincynky&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=c5iC6B31UNism43NCK5aSLmgxP%2BxaGt67fvVGcG18ks%3D&KeyRid=1