CONSIDERING PURCHASING A HOME IN NORTHERN OHIO? HEADLINES HAVE YOU WORRIED?

$125,000,000!!!!!!!!!

That's how much funding Howard Hanna Mortgage Services has per month for our clients. You can be certain that there is no shortage of mortgage money available for qualified individuals!

Considering purchasing a home and worried about financing? Contact the Hisey Group today and let us put you in touch with money available NOW!!

Lee Hisey 440-315-6000/leehisey@howardhanna.com
Ernie Hisey 216-218-5168/1-800-974-5184

Serving Western Cuyahoga and Medina Counties, Lorain County, and Northern Erie and Ottawa County to include the Lake Erie Islands.

Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Grafton, Sheffield Lake, Elyria, Vermilion, Lorain, Westlake, North Ridgeville, Wellington, Olmsted Falls, Catawba, Middle Bass Island, South Bass Island, Put In Bay, North Bass Island, Rattlesnake Island, Wakeman, Henrietta Township, Brownhelm Township, Lakewood, Litchfield, Valley City, Columbia Station, and more...

Rahn Emanuel - Hope for the Great Lakes

Just read the PD article on the President Elect's pick for the new White House Chief of Staff. See link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1226050421113430.xml&coll=2

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficient Home Improvements

A $500 dollar tax credit that expired in 2007 has been renewed for 2009. The credit will cover up to $5000 worth of improvements that qualify, and you get a $500 rebate! The bonus is that since it applies to improvements that save you energy - you get to keep even more of your money!! Sorry - 2008 improvements (and I made a lot of them) don't count.

The credit does not cover labor - only equipment. Here are some links for additional information:

www.energystar.gov
www.energyincentives.org

Realty One/Howard Hanna Merger: Things are moving along.

We've been changing our fliers, websites, business cards, stationary - it's a lot of work. I like our new look. A certified "Green" Realtor should work with a company with largely green signs and logo. I think our virtual tours are particularly attractive with the new framing and logo. We create a panoramic virtual tour with every listing, and appearance is everything.

Howard Hanna is now number one in most of our market area. Howard Hanna and Realty One Real Living combined would have had approximately 5600 homes sold in 2008, Russell Realtors approx. 1260, Keller Williams approx. 625 and Coldwell Banker approx. 515. Howard Hanna is now the hands down powerhouse in marketing Real Estate in Northern Ohio.

If you want to sell your home you need to list with the Hisey Group with Howard Hanna. We cover Cleveland's Westside, Avon Lake, Lorain, Westlake, North Ridgeville, Litchfield, Grafton, Wellington, Lorain, Vermilion, Put In Bay, Port Clinton, and all of the areas between.

Certified EcoBroker: Green, Eco-Conscious Realtor For Cleveland, Ohio west to the Lake Erie Islands

Are you considering Green, Eco features in your next home? Are you considering selling a home with energy saving features, natural areas and landscaping, features made of sustainable products, and water saving features?

The Hisey Group serves Cleveland's western suburbs, Lorain County, Western Medina County, and Lake Erie bordering communities west to the Lake Erie Islands (Catawba, Middle Bass, North Bass, Rattlesnake Island, South Bass to include the Village of Put In Bay, and Kelleys Island).

As a certified EcoBroker with Howard Hanna I can focus on those features within your marketing material including a virtual tour, fliers, and major internet exposure. I will educate buyers and sellers regarding "Green" features and their benefits.

We don't just market and show homes based on eco features. Every home is special and unique. If you are a buyer we will try to find homes with those special characteristics you are looking for. "Green" homes, historic homes, horse and alpaca property, waterfronts, island homes, new exciting urban opportunities. This is an exciting time in Northern Ohio, and as the market recovers we are confident that you will have more opportunities and options than in the past. If you are considering selling we use virtual tours to sell those unique aspects to potential buyers. We typically take 50 to 150 pictures of you home, property, neighborhood and community and incorporate them into multiple websites (certified epro), your flier, virtual tour, and other marketing efforts.

Give us a call for more information at 440-315-6000 or email LeeHisey@HowardHanna.com.

Howard Hanna + Realty One = #1 in Ohio

Howard Hanna and Realty One have truly become a regional powerhouse. The combined companies will now have 79 offices with 2,804 Howard Hanna sales associates. That is a lot of support in marketing your property!

Howard Hanna will have a total of 4,394 sales associates and 157 sales offices in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. While other companies are shrinking and pulling back Howard Hanna is growing and expanding.

The Hisey Group LLC - NOW HOWARD HANNA!!
Proudly serving our clients for almost 50 years. Considering purchasing or selling Northern Ohio Real Estate? Contact the Hisey Group at 1-800-974-5184 24 hr vm/Ernie Hisey 216-218-5168/Lee Hisey 440-315-6000/HiseyGroup@gmail.com.

Your Howard Hanna Real Estate Team for "Cleveland's Westside to the Lake Erie Islands"!

Serving Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, Bay Village, Eaton, Grafton, Grafton Township, Litchfield, Wellington, Oberlin, Amherst, Put In Bay, North Bass Island, South Bass Island, Middle Bass Island, Rattlesnake Island, Catawba Island, Marblehead, Sheffield Lake, Vermilion, Lorain, Elyria, Valley City, Wakeman, Brownhelm Township, Pittsfield, Penfield, LaGrange, and all of North Central Ohio.

Realty One Purchased by Howard Hanna

Howard Hanna has purchased Realty One Real Living, and the Realtor world is buzzing. We've seen numbers, but essentially Howard Hanna will now hold approx. 40% of the market share in Northeast Ohio with approximately 1500 Ohio Realtors.. The two largest, strongest companies in our area are now forming one company. Howard Hanna and Realty One have always battled over first and second place over recent years, and together they will form a powerful force for marketing your unique Ohio property.

We will pass along information as we receive it, but with relocation services, internet presence, inventory, marketing outlets and methods, and local, regional, national and international marketing efforts this company will be the major force in marketing and selling real estate in Northern Ohio.

This change will take place gradually over many months. Realty One signs will gradually be replaced by new signs. As always communication with all customers and clients will be a priority for the Hisey Group, LLC. We'll keep you posted!!

New Website: Ohio Waterfront Condominiums, Lakefront, Riverfront and Island Condos

Looking for a waterfront condominium in Northern Ohio? Lake Erie frontage, islands, and rivers feeding Lake Erie in North Central Ohio have some of the most beautiful condominium developments in Ohio. Amenities can include the usual pools, club house, golf and tennis - but additionally they may have marina facilities, beach access, boat ramps and waterfront walkways. The views of course can be amazing!

Visit our new site can be found through:

http://www.CondosOnLakeErie.com and
http://www.OhioWaterfrontCondos.com

Looking for a waterfront condominium? We'd be happy to have one of our buyers specialists arrange a waterfront condo tour for you. Why wait for an open house and fight the crowds?

Considering selling your lakefront, riverfront, or island condominium? Give us a call today at 440-315-6000. Call now for early spring listings. We take extensive tour photos and do virtual tours of your unit as well as the development as a whole.

Hisey House Rehab: Sealing Our Home w/ Siding, Wrap, Caulking, Foam

Our old siding and gutters were hauled off and recycled. Aluminum is in demand. The Grafton Township house had previously had blown-in insulation through the siding and tar paper wrapped the house under the siding.

Prior to installation I topped off all of my blown-in insulation with a green eco-friendly product. It's amazing how much I used. Some areas that had plugs took bags of siding - including our original bathroom exterior walls. (I always had trouble with the pipes freezing - now I know why). I went through an entire box of caulking tubes and 8 cans of foam making the house as airtight as possible prior to the wrap and siding being installed. Our new siding is CedarMAX thermal siding (foam on the back) over a green house-wrap. This is thick siding with up to 500% greater impact resistance than standard siding. Heartland guarantees a 20% energy savings with 4.0 R factor. Because of the design it is more insect resistant and wind resistant - important living in the country surrounded by fields.

We also had the contractor, Dan Bieri, build out the casings and wrap everything not covered in vinyl in aluminum. The seams were again caulked. (Daniel Bieri Construction, P.O. Box #69, Amherst, Ohio 44001 440-669-2816) We added new gutters to the house as well as adding gutters to the pole building. I'll be running piping underground in the spring to carry water from the downspouts to the pond. I have a pump supplying water from the pond to faucets to irrigate my landscaping and vegetable garden.

My wife Maria and I are hoping to get maximum life out of the products we chose as well as substantial energy savings. We recycled what we could, and have a home that looks fantastic! We are updating an existing 150 year old home on it's existing footprint making it far more energy efficient. We've added solar sensors on most of our exterior lights, replaced older lights and bulbs with energy efficient options, and hope to add more energy saving features in the future.

We still have many projects in the works, but the 203k loan made this part of the project possible. Please feel free to call or email me for information, recommendations or if you'd like to utilize the Hisey Group to search for your next home. 440-315-6000 or lee.hisey@realliving.com

The Hisey House Grafton, Ohio House Rehab Project

I've been documenting various parts of my summer house rehab. This is the home I live in, and I have been trying to make energy efficiency my priority.

In the last three years, with the help of friends and contractors, I've done extensive rehab to our 150 year old home. It has logs, blacksmith nails, the whole nine yards. Unfortunately any unique trim, glass work, etc was lost long ago. Studs are all different, spaced differently, and many still have the bark on them. Windows and doors all have different measurements. It can be a challenge.

Prior to this summer we had replaced our roof with 30 year shingles after replacing rot. Thirty year shingles last longer - going into a landfill 10 to 20 years later than less expensivee shingles on the market. We added a second full bathroom requiring major work. Rather than adding to our 1524 square foot house we are building two rooms and a loft in our pole building for a future exercise room, storage and an office.

This summer we replaced our old septic system. It was becoming obvious that the old system was no longer functioning probably resulting in bacteria going into the front ditch. We now have a new state of the art sewage system.

I wrote about our new high efficiency heating, cooling and air filtration system earlier. I'm excited to discover the difference it will make in our bills this year.

This summer we also replaced the last of the old inefficient windows and doors. We chose Regency Windows Polaris Smart Saver windows and a new front door. The old door was original, but very small and low. It also allowed a substantial amount of heat loss. The windows were all single pane and would actually shake in strong winds. We have now replaced every window and door in the house but one. (next year)

Expanding Our Northcoast Real Estate Team: The Hisey Group is Growing

We are excited to be adding two new Realtor agents to our team in January. Sharon Weisenbach will help us cover the Lake Erie Islands, to include Catawba Island, South Bass Island (Put In Bay), Middle Bass Island, North Bass Island, Rattlesnake Island and Kelleys Island. Realtor Debbie Burnworth will work with buyers in Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, Bay Village, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake and the surrounding areas. We have been looking for agents that feel customer service is a priority, and we've found them!

We have a new website coming online later this month focusing on lakefront, riverfront, and island condominiums. We feel these neighborhoods have not been receiving adequate attention - they should be marketed more effectively. Condominium developments with lake and river frontage generally offer unique qualities that can't be found in other condominium developments.

Watch for updates and additional info on Sharon and Debbie in January! If you are looking for a home, relocating to Ohio's Northcoast, or considering selling - give us a call! We cover Cleveland, Ohio's Westside to the Lake Erie Islands. 440-315-6000/1-800-974-5184.
http://www.HiseyGroup.com

Mortgage Update from Real Living Mortgage Consultant Lisa Coffey

Current mortgage rates:
30 yr fixed, 1% orig. = 6.000%
30 yr fixed, no orig. = 6.250%
15 yr fixed, 1% orig. = 5.625%
15 yr fixed, no orig. = 6.125%
FHA 30 yr, 1% orig. = 6.250% (only 5.250% for the first year with our FREE 1-year Buydown!)
VA 30 yr, 1% orig. = 6.375% (only 5.375% for the first year with our FREE 1-year Buydown!)

News you can use:

National City Bank sold: On Thursday last week, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. reached agreement to acquire National City Bank in a $5.58 billion cash and stock deal. Meanwhile, PNC also announced that it plans to sell $7.7 billion in preferred stock and warrants to the U.S. Treasury, making it one of the first banks to participate in the government's $250 billion injection of capital into banks. Essentially, what is occurring is that the government's capital is being used by PNC (a "strong" bank) to buy NCB (a "weak" bank), and you can probably expect similar consolidations to occur in the weeks and months ahead. How does this affect you? For one, with all of the uncertainty and changes occurring, it's good to know that your lending partner, Real Living Mortgage, is under the "strong bank umbrella" as an affiliate of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Our products, programs, and strength remain ready to serve you and your customers both now and in the future, and you can be confident that by partnering with us, you are partnering with a lender who will be with you for the long-haul.

Did You Know that the following buyers can still get standard, low interest rate mortgages from Real Living Mortgage?
Low down payments: 3% down for FHA, 5% down for convention loans!
Not perfect credit: Conventional loans with credit scores as low as 620, FHA loans even lower than that (still with low rates!). Mortgages are also available if your buyer doesn't have much established credit at all!
High debt ratios: We can still approve borrowers, in different situations, with debt ratios at 50% or higher.
The point is, your buyers don't have to be perfect to work with us. Encourage your buyers to look into their options with us, and we'll work with you to help them buy a home now!

Thanks Lisa !