I’ve lived in Huber Heights for…gosh, a lot of years!

Huber Heights is a community that has a little bit of everything. It’s active, and dynamic, it’s growing, it’s experiencing growing pains. Originally a suburban bedroom community, we’ve taken on industry, and entertainment, and shopping.

I suppose that because of the current issues with the Huber Heights City Council, I’ve been reading unflattering comments about Huber Heights. These are typically written by people who don’t live here, but I do live here, and what Huber Heights is, is a casual and informal place to call home. I know (and like!) my neighbors. We take care of each other, but don’t tell each other how to live.

What Huber Heights is to me is home, and I thought I might like to share it with you. You can see the Belle Plain slide show here.

I love this loft! There I said it. And I know people are curious to see these lofts, so here’s your opportunity.

There is so much to enjoy in this space: High ceilings, brick walls, large windows; the kind of copious character and styling you demand from loft spaces reclaimed from history. This loft has new Corian counter tops, new tile floors, and fresh paint, it all seamlessly blends the character and charm of historic building techniques with the beauty and practicality of modern conveniences. The space speaks for itself, as does the location.

Do you want a house in the suburbs? Sorry, but this isn’t for you. However, if you want to be close to the pulse of the entertainment venues in Dayton… Well now we are talking! Ice Ave Lofts are blocks from live theatre, first-class dining, the best in casual dining, minor league baseball, shopping experiences that are unique, rather than pedestrian, and the entire Riverscape Metro Park system! Imagine living with the best a city has to offer, at a price few cities can beat! If you can imagine living that lifestyle, if you dream of living that lifestyle, then contact me for more information about 215 Ice Ave.

For a sneak peek, click here.

Tonight, Tuesday April 22, at 7pm, the Huber Heights City Council will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss the possible employment of public employees. The emergency session was called after last week’s firing of Cathy Armocida.

The meeting will be held in Council Chambers, 6131 Taylorsville Road, Huber Heights, and is open to the public.

Some times you have to go home again…

Emmylou Harris, Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, the Everly Brothers, I don’t know who all else is on stage. I love this old gospel song, and when Emmylou puts her lovely voice to it and Chet adds his perfect picking, that’s all we need to hear.

And the church says Amen.

Did you get the Huber Heights Courier yesterday? They have articles online, but they are not updated immediately, so I’ll quote from the dead tree media and add the link to the story later when it goes live.

*4/18/08 edit: The article is up on the Times Community site. To read the Huber Heights Courier article, click here.

What do we know? The Huber Heights City Council has fired city manager, Cathy Armocida. The only City Council member who is speaking is Seth Morgan, who says, in part: “…I have come to believe we were at an irreversible point in the lack of cohesiveness in establishing a mutual direction for the city between Cathy and Council.”

Specifics were not given.

Seth Morgan goes on: “Council for too long, has been allowed to take part in administrative functions. That became evident during Jim Pierce. Now the reverse has become evident to be a problem… the administration has taken opportunity to try to influence the political process.”

Specifics were not given.

Jan Vargo and Judy Blankenship voted against the firing, but they aren’t talking.

David Studebaker has been named the interim city manager.

Karen Weaver-Cox, Huber Heights School Board member is talking. She is pushing forward to organize a recall committee. Weaver-Cox wrote a letter to the editor outlining the accomplishments of Cathy Armocida and her concern over the firing. Weaver-Cox can be reached at kweaver8@woh.rr.com.

I’m not clear on how City Council manages to fire two city managers in just over two years and thinks that the problem lies elsewhere, but. We can vote them out. My real concern is how Huber Heights is going to attract any competent person to the position of city manager with this track record. The current Huber Heights City Council now has a history of being unable to work with its administration. Who is going to take on this role? Where are you going to find someone to step into this position?

Dayton Daily News has nothing to report about this today. To find out what they reported yesterday, you can go here.

Need to discuss this with City Council? Here’s a list of names and contact information:
Jack Hensley: Mayor
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 233-1412
Email: hensleyjf@aol.com

Jim Ellis: Ward 1 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 266-1200
Email: jellis@bpess.com

Karen Kaleps: Ward 2 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 233-0252
Email: karenkaleps@aol.com

Seth Morgan: Ward 3 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 235-1351
Email: sethmorgan@woh.rr.com

Judy Blankenship: Ward 4 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 233-9391
Email: jblank100@sbcglobal.net

Roger Hensley: Ward 5 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 236-8591
Email: rhensley43@aol.com

Ron Fisher: Ward 6 Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 236-3474
Email: rafisher10@yahoo.com

Mark Campbell: At-Large Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 237-5679
Email: mcamp75741@aol.com

Jan Vargo: At-Large Councilperson
6131 Taylorsville Rd., Huber Heights, OH 45424
Phone: 236-5385
Email: jvargo21@aol.com

A Huber Heights Council ward map can be found here.

Big shake up at the Huber Heights City Council meeting Monday night.

Wait. Let me start this again.

Another big shake up at the Huber Heights City Council meeting Monday night.: Cathy Armocida was fired. We are in the dark. I know as much as you know, which is what has been reported in the Dayton Daily News:

The storm that ended in the firing of City Manager Cathy Armocida on Monday night, April 14, seemed to erupt last summer in a dispute over whether a policy through which Huber Heights police provided private security for businesses was being implemented properly.

A conflict arose over how the Council and the police interpreted the policy. By last fall, both sides had come to an agreement on a new policy.

Armocida said some council members pressured her to fire the police chief and deputy police chief, something that had happened in the past with other staff members. She has not identified which council members pressured her.

An Aug. 19, 2007, letter signed by three unions representing city firefighters, police and municipal employees informed the Council that they had not endorsed any current council members.

“The direction the city has taken with its constant unrest, continuous turnover of key City Staff positions, and department heads being forced to manage or mismanage their departments under unauthorized directives from certain council members, is hardly the direction that we see as best for the citizens of Huber Heights,” the letter said in part.

The first sign of trouble at Monday night’s meeting was when resident and school board member Karen Weaver-Cox said she was prepared to head up a recall effort if the Council didn’t stop violating sections of the charter that prevent them from appointing, terminating or interfering with the city manager’s staff.

The entire article is here, (but it might already be behind the wall). 

From a related article:

Karen Weaver-Cox, a Huber Heights school board member and former editor of the Huber Heights Courier, has vowed to prepare a recall committee if council didn’t stop interfering with the city manager and her staff.

“My plans are for the next few days to get with the people who said they were willing to be on the committee and check with the Board of Elections to make sure we’re doing everything properly.”

Council members had no comment Tuesday on why they decided to fire Armocida, but they said allegations that they were trying to interfere with staff were untrue.

“Unless you are walking in our shoes, you really should be careful, I think,” Councilwoman Karen Kaleps said. “Council does not want to run this city. We want to come up with ideas and have them implemented and carried through by staff.

I don’t know what the story is, and that’s the problem, isn’t it? Our council doesn’t feel the need to let us know what the story is. I have known Karen Kaleps for years and have found her to a gracious and thoughtful woman, but I find her comment to be way out of touch with reality. We vote for the council to walk in our shoes- we don’t have to walk in your shoes. Communicate with us, help us understand what is going on here. No comment doesn’t work any more. 

You can contact Karen Weaver via e-mail at kweaver8@woh.rr.com.

What is an Open House and what is it’s purpose? The short answer: It depends. That wasn’t very helpful, was it? I’ll explain.

Open Houses can serve a multitude of purposes- it’s a real multi-purpose tool for a real estate agent. The intended outcome is to sell your home, so that should be the primary goal of an open house, but the fact is, that doesn’t happen very often. Why? Various reasons, tons of reasons, lots of different reasons most homes don’t sell at the open house. So why do Realtors hold open houses? To sell your house. Not making sense?

Look at it this way: Your home not selling at an open house does not mean the open house was not successful. Perhaps the buyers came through and will take that information back to their own Realtor. Perhaps they are parents or friends of out of town buyers and will take that information back to the buyer. Perhaps they are nosy neighbors who are have always been curious about what your property looked like, but once inside, they know someone who would love you house! By holding an open house, you are creating interest in the home. If your home is priced correctly, and prepared properly, you and your real estate agent have a real opportunity to generate some buzz. Hopefully you have done the things you need to do in order to welcome serious buyers. So what is your Realtor doing? Marketing of course!

How do you market an open house? It depends on the market for your home. Who are the potential buyers? Your real estate agent should be able to tell you who those buyers are, and have a plan for reaching them. You are hiring a real estate agent to market your home, hopefully they understand the difference between buyers who are looking for starter homes and buyers who are looking for a palatial estate in the country. Some marketing will be the similar for each, but marketing is never a one-size-fits-all proposition.

Open houses are a form of entertainment for some folks. Some Realtors complain about those visitors, I welcome them! Who better to appreciate your home than someone who looks at open houses for fun and excitement? I figure these are the people who are talking up homes to their friends! “You are moving?!? Where to? Oh! I just went through the cutest little home in Huber Heights last week! Let me tell you about it…” Hooray! We have someone marketing for us! If you are an open house fan, you are welcome to my open houses anytime! Come on in! Take your time, look around. I only ask that you please remember me- Theresa Lussier, EXiT Realty Central, the brilliant and nice Realtor who didn’t mind that you visited her client’s beautifully and well priced home, welcoming you enjoy at Sunday afternoon as her guest. Then when you discuss homes tell people that you know a great Realtor who holds the best open houses around (I suppose it’s too late for a shameless self-promotion alert… ?).

If you are selling a home, ask questions- know why an agent is holding your home open, and make sure it meets your needs.

If you are a buyer, read about Dual Agency before you go to an open house, to make sure you understand the role agency plays in real estate transactions- the information you give a real estate agent, is vital to your representation- be aware of the who represents whom before you give confidential information away.

Looking for open houses in Huber Heights, any where else in the Dayton Ohio area? The Dayton Area Board of Realtors and the Dayton Daily News have created an online resource. Every open house isn’t listed here, but it’s a great place to start. You can check the Dayton Open House link for more information.

Let’s say you are relocating to Dayton. Perhaps you are transferring to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. You have a extended weekend to visit Dayton, get a handle on places you might want to live, see homes, write an offer… How do you find a real estate agent? You could read their website to determine if you are comfortable working with them.

Let’s say you find an agent. If you find me, I’m going to hit the ground running. I’m going to listen to what it is you want, what it is you need, and give you stats on different areas, so you can see how home values hold up. I’ll give you the links to the information you need so you can find the neighborhood you will feel most comfortable with.

Then, I’m going to preview properties for you. How do you show an out of town buyer what they can expect? MLS photos are not always reliable. Sometimes they have been enhanced, and if your Realtor is worth their commission, they will always take photos from the most flattering angles. I want my clients to know about the beautiful boulevard and fabulous home next door to one they are considering. I want them to know that another home sits on a street with impossible to find parking. In other words, I want to be their eyes. I want to show them the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My friends at Bloodhound Realty in Phoenix, have created a new tool for real estate agents to showcase properties. It has a lot of uses- obviously it could be used for listings, for neighborhood information, to share with contractors. It could be used to show anything, basically. There are a gazillion uses for it in any industry, and for personal use as well. I have the privilege of being a beta tester for this technology. It’s called engenu, and you can check out one of my uses for it here. This particular engenu site was created mostly to show off the technology for this post.

I’m working with some relocating clients, and I’ve been previewing homes in Historic South Park and taking photos of each property. What I’ve done with engenu for them, is to compile the photos I’ve taken for each property and create a separate engenu site for each property I preview. I’ve also created one site for a few miscellaneous shots of South Park and some exterior shots of homes I didn’t get into. For their privacy, I’ve created the site I’m sharing here, which is simply all those things we find charming about historic homes- those lovely and unexpected details that make historic home owners so passionate about where they live.

Yes, I could email these photos with my notes, but this engenu site is online wherever, whenever they are. They can share these photos with family and friends by simply sharing a link- no more huge emails gumming up your computer. They don’t have to store the photos anywhere, and we will have a online record of their home when they bought it. Hopefully they will be open to letting me take photos of their work in progress, and we can create a real history of their home. That will be nice for them to watch their own progress as they restore their home, but this record is also helpful when they sell.

There are Realtors who will keep to the methods they are used to- that’s unfortunate for them. As for me, my job is to always look for new ways of adding benefits my clients can appreciate. This is one that they can benefit from now and for years to come.

Real estate agents take regular hits from outside. Some are deserved, some are well-deserved, but some are not. Either way, we develop thick skin or starve to death. Real estate agents who blog open themselves up to more scrutiny perhaps, simply because we put ourselves in a place where anyone could comment, question, remark about what we say, and they can do it in a very public place- here on our blog, or on another blog.

I encourage healthy dialog. I think it’s a great way to improve my service, and learn more about what my clients, customers, and consumers want, need, and expect from me, and from the real estate industry. We are should be a customer service oriented industry, and if anything positive is coming out of the current housing situation, it’s that consumers will no longer be lead, but will lead. The fact is that smarter clients make me a better agent.

I’m a Dayton, Ohio real estate agent. Tough market? Oh yeah. But this is where change has a huge opportunity to happen- right here in the trenches, we can effect change that can only come when savvy consumers demand it. I am certainly game for that, and I’m hoping Dayton real estate consumers are ready to push for changes from their local real estate professionals.

Looking in the mirror is not always easy, but when I saw this article written at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the information from a consumer’s point of view was too good not to share.

A reader asks columnist Ellen Phillips:

Q: From my past experiences with real estate agents, I’ve concluded that they don’t always work on behalf of their clients. How do I go about finding an agent who is not only qualified, but also one who is professional and who works for my best interests?

A: …Without knowing the specifics of your previous experiences, I have a feeling you’re talking in terms of the almighty dollar. I’ve encountered far too many real estate agents over the years — both personally and from problems surrounding former clients — who serve their own interests when it comes down to the percentage rate that can make an enormous difference within their individual wallets.

Ouch. Okay perhaps for some agents that is deserved, but that can change. Consumers can demand change. Ms. Phillips goes on to emphasize the importance of becoming an informed consumer:

On to the interview, and I can’t stress enough its importance. The very first question that flies from your mouth is to verify whether the prospective agent works for the buyer or the seller. While companies naturally promote both, the agent with whom you contract is YOUR agent, working solely on YOUR behalf. (More about this later.) Hopefully, you’ve come up with a list of questions to ask that make you sound knowledgeable about the topic. (The worse kind of consumer in any situation is to be ignorant… and show it.) Perhaps your questions pertain to your new-found information. If the agent doesn’t know a whole lot more than you, then move on down the road.

I love that, but here’s something I think is priceless in this market:

Remember when I mentioned the seller’s or buyer’s agent? I worked with a Chattanooga real estate agent for over two years while still living in Northern Virginia.

Did you catch that? She worked with an agent for over two years?!?! Yes. Sometimes that is necessary and if your credit needs repair, planning is going to be crucial for you. Find a mortgage professional and a real estate agent who are willing to help you with a plan for your future.

There’s more- go read it.

A home is possibly the biggest investment of your life. Do yourself a favor and become educated. The added benefit to consumers becoming informed is that real estate agents either get better or are forced out of the system. This truly is the beginning of a new era in real estate.

Been climbing a learning curve lately, playing with a great new tool for communicating with and for clients. It’s bleeding edge, and has potential to be extremely useful for all kinds of real estate applications. I’m using it for buyers right now, simply because it makes the most sense to learn it for some current out of town buyers to utilize. Once I get a handle on what all it can do, and how it can best serve my clients, I’ll post the details here.

In the meanwhile, I’m going to point you once again to Dan Green’s The Mortgage Reports blog. I’m convinced that no one can explain mortgage information for the consumer better than Dan. I read real estate industry blogs from all across the country, I also share contributor status on a national industry blog, Bloodhound Blog, with Dan. (Bloodhound is a wild and woolly place where bold ideas about the real estate industry are kicked around. It’s not for the meek and mild, but that’s what makes it interesting.) I spend a lot of time reading about real estate and truly Dan is in a class by himself.

This time around Dan gives you reasons to “Stop asking your real estate agent if now is a good time to buy“. An excerpt:

“Now” is full of knowns.  “Later” is full of unknowns.

Mortgage markets are seizing and lenders have no choice but to limit what they will lend and to whom. 

It may appear that lenders are going overboard with their restrictions but that’s not the case at all.  Lenders are simply more concerned about not wasting money than they are about making money. 

Today, a bank doesn’t mind if it passes on 9 good loans in a stack of applications if it means that it also passes on the 1 bad one that’s in there.

Mortgages are only a small percentage of the bank’s balance sheet, but it’s the uncertainty about the demand for mortgages by investors that makes them nervous. 

If mortgage bonds become worthlessworth less, the little guy could eventually topple the giant mch like Little Mac did to Mike Tyson.

The first major change we expect to see is with second mortgages.  Currently, 90% home equity lines of credit are available from most banks.  Judging from the graphic at left, expect that percentage to fall to 80% or lower very soon.

The second major change we expect are more credit score-based fees.  Currently, a 680 score puts mortgage applicants in the safe zone from credit-score based fees.

Expect that minimum score to raise to 720.

While you read the entire post at The Mortgage Reports, I’ll keep climbing the learning curve with the new tool called engenu. And if you need a real estate question answered now, drop me a line: Teri@DaytonRE.com.

Did you find this blog looking for Huber Home Rentals? You are not the only one. They are hard to find online, arent’ they? I would think a corporation with as many customers as they have, would get online, have all the pertinent numbers online, basic information- think about it. Their business would run more smoothly, people could get their questions answered without having to call the office. Not everyone wants or needs to talk to a person each time they call.

So I went looking for them online. A lot of people find this site looking for Huber Home Rentals, I wanted to know why, and now I know- they are hard to find and once I did find them, I called the number to confirm it was a working number, and the very first thing out of their mouth was: “Can I have your name?” That tells me that they want to control information. What does that tell me about their service?

 Huber Home Rentals owns many properties in Huber Heights. They are a huge property management corporation. I don’t know exactly how many homes they own, but as I look up stats, do comparative market analysis, and pull comps, their name keeps coming up. They rent in all the Dayton MLS ‘areas’ of Huber Heights- Huber South, Huber North, and North of I-70, as they are called. They have the Huber bungalows, which are really cute little homes, by the way. The bungalows are 2 bedroom/ 1 bath with a great room and a open kitchen/ dining area. I keep thinking some clever investors should come in and scoop up a block of those bungalows and mid-century modernize them, and rent them out to a bunch of hipsters. If that is something you would be interested in, let me know.

They have quite a few of the Hilltop townhouse condos. My husband rented one of those back in his college days. They are very nicely laid out, and some have been maintained quite well through the years, some less well. There are three different floor plans to the townhouses, and they work well for a rental.

Huber South rentals are dominated by the Midwestern model, no great surprise there, but you might not know that you can rent quite a few of the homes in the north of I-70 area as well.

If you are looking for rental information, well, that’s real estate and that’s why I’m here. Renting? That’s okay. You have real estate goals, and I would like to help you meet them whether it’s now or a few years from now. A little information and planning now can go a long way to meeting your goals in the future. Let me know how I can help. I promise not to give you the National Association of Realtors home ownership sales pitch as I’m never sure what those NAR pitches have to do with anyone other than that association. What I had in mind is a heart-to-heart about why home ownership makes sense to you, not to me or the NAR.

One other reason to contact me: I have floor plans for almost every model of Huber Home. If you would like a copy, just drop me a line.

And since they can’t seem to do it well, and you may have found me looking for it, here’s the contact information for Huber Home Rentals.

5550 Huber Rd
Dayton, OH 45424
(937) 233-4662

Look, bottom line, my contact information is here: Teri@DaytonRE.com.  Contact me, and I’ll show you how to develop and reach your own real estate goals, instead of funding the real estate goals of Huber Home Rentals.

Foreclosure crisis in Ohio? There are so many layers and levels to this issue it’s impossible to tackle it all right now, however, the one issue that most concerns me today is education.

If you read this blog frequently, you know that education is important to me. I want my clients, my customers, and readers to be educated. There is no more pressing issue to me than to make sure people know what they are doing when they are buying a house. Whether or not I’m representing you- please know what you are doing.

I’ve been accused of giving out too much information! Huh? You kiddin’ me? Someone is about to make what is likely the biggest financial decision of their life, how in the name of all that is good and just in the world can I give them too much information?

A story: I once had clients who were purchasing a derelict property in Dayton. A whole house inspection is always recommended, but obviously with this property it was imperative. So they contracted with 1st Inspection Servicesto do the inspection. Paul Updyke spent a few hours at a 1200 square foot house crawling around, over and under this property, sweating like a pig, to give my clients a thorough inspection: Photos, examples, taking the time to show my clients every little thing he could find “wrong” with this property. That’s what he gets paid to do. Every house has flaws, inspectors get paid to find flaws, you want to know the flaws. Trust me on this, you really want to know the flaws. Anyway, within a day we had the report. 60 pages of report for a 1200 square foot home: Photos, comments, recommendations; a very thorough and concise record of this home and it’s flaws.

I’m concerned. I want to make sure my clients understand what this means so I sat down with them and we went through the report. They were none too happy about this. They wanted me to gloss over the bad stuff and even asked me if I was trying to persuade them to back out of the contract. You know what? I’m okay with them asking that- it means I’m doing my job. My job is to do what is in your best interest. To me, that includes educating you as best I can so that you understand what you are doing when you buy a home.

A real estate agent, me, is hired for a myriad of things: Experience, knowledge, ability. A real estate agent might have all of those in abundance, but if they are not sharing it with you, if they are not educating you during this most important purchase… Well.

What does this have to do with foreclosures? We have reached that place in real estate history where a crisis has occurred. Crisis is painful, but crisis forces change.  You, as a real estate consumer, will no longer be comfortable taking someone else’s word for it. You will no longer blindly accept that all the people involved in this transaction are looking out for your best interests. The vast majority of us are looking out for your best interest, by the way, but you will no longer blindly accept that. You are going to want information, statistics, knowledge. You are, in other words, going to want demand to be educated. For real estate agents like me, this can’t come soon enough.

Indulge me another story: My broker, David Cooper, and the brokerage, EXiT Realty Central, have nothing to do with this blog. This blog is me, Theresa Lussier. I had this blog before I started working with EXiT Realty and, since real estate agents are independent contractors, I don’t check with them before I post. Everything you see here is me, so much so that David recently told me that he was a bit uncomfortable with the information I was giving here. The information I share here is not wrong, or illegal, or unethical. And he’s okay with me giving out this information, he’s simply not accustomed to seeing a lot of real estate information given out. You know what? I’m okay with his discomfort.

Which brings me to Ohio foreclosures. While I think that the Governor’s smiling head shot has no business beaming back at you on a foreclosure crisis website, the fact is that the Save the Dream website is a wealth of information, education, and a consolidated place to go if you find yourself in trouble, or hopefully to prevent you from finding yourself in trouble. There are phone numbers, website links, videos, articles- it’s a good place to go to get educated. The information is easy to obtain, easy to share, and can prevent crisis.

Yes, all this information given before a purchase would have prevented this crisis. Yes, everyone involved in real estate transactions, everyone, has a part to play in creating this crisis. But you know what? Whatever we are going through right now, we won’t get fooled again.

From the Save the Dream site; foreclosure counseling in the Dayton area:

• HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
• Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP)
  Phone number: 216-361-0718
  http://www.esop-cleveland.org
• Consumer Credit Counseling Service
  Phone number: 614-552-2222
  Toll Free number: 800-355-2227
  http://www.cccservices.com
• Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area
  Phone number: 937-341-5000
  http://www.cap-dayton.org
• Dayton Urban Ministry Center
  Phone number: 937-278-1167 or 937-278-9231
• Graceworks Lutheran Services
  Phone number: 937-534-7900
  Toll Free number: 800-377-2432
  http://www.graceworks.org
• Helping Hands Community Outreach Center
  Phone number: 937-268-6066
  http://www.firstgiving.com/helpinghands
• Holt Street Miracle Center
  Phone number: 937-222-7420
• Lutheran Social Services of Midamerica/Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Miami Valley
  Phone number: 800-377-2432
  Toll Free number: 800-377-2432
  http://www.graceworks.org
• St. Mary Development Corporation
  Phone number: 937-853-1600
  http://www.homeownershipdayton.org
• Wesley Community Center
  Phone number: 937-263-2556
  http://www.wesleycenterdayton.org
• Legal Services
• Equal Justice Foundation
  Phone number: 614-221-9810
  Toll Free number: 800-898-0545
  http://www.equaljusticefoundation.com
• Advocates For Basic Legal Equality
  Phone number: 937-228-8088
  Toll Free number: 866-837-8832
  http://www.ablelaw.org
• Legal Aid of Western Ohio
  Phone number: 937-228-8088
  Toll Free number: 800-867-9431
• Community Organizations
• Montgomery County Save Our Homes
  Phone number: 937-496-7752 or 937-225-4912
• United Way’s HelpLink and 211
  Phone number: 937-225-3000
  Toll Free number: 800-917-3224
  http://www.dayton-unitedway.org
• Additional Resources
• AARP
  Foreclosure and Reverse Mortgage Information
  Toll Free number: 800-209-8085
  http://www.aarp.org
• Department of Job and Family Services
  Prevention Retention and Contingency Program
  Phone number: 937-496-6720
  http://www.thejobcenter.org
• Montgomery County Veteran’s Service Office
  Phone number: 937-225-4801
• Ohio Benefit Bank
  Toll Free number: 800-648-1176
  http://www.obb.ohio.gov

We all have it, don’t we? Some little “thing” that tries to keep us from being the best people we can be? Why is that? No clue, but if you are looking for inspiration, a reason to push all the self-doubt aside and really persue a dream, you’ve come to the right place.

Perhaps you’ve seen this, but on this weekend, when Old Man Winter is busting our chops it seems like a good time to get a few little inspirational fire in the belly embers glowing. Watch this video and ask yourself: What’s holding me back?

I read a blog called Seeds of Growth and they posted this information about the dancers:

She was a teenage dancer in China, having trained from early childhood, when she lost her left arm in a car accident. Depressed, she turned away from dancing for awhile. But when asked to coach a group of children, she realized her love of dance was still there.

She returned to dancing, finding at first that it was difficult to maintain balance in her turns and spins without her lost limb. But gradually she learned to compensate.

A number of years later, she heard of a young man in his 20’s who had lost his leg. He, too, was going through the roller coaster emotions of denial, depression and anger that she had gone through. Although he had never danced before, she talked him into trying it.It was a challenge for both of them. They separated several times when the frustration became too great. He had no concept of how to use his muscles or even the most basic dance steps.

Eventually, they broke through their frustrations and went back to training, hiring a choreographer to design routines for them.

The Brick Ranch has added a new Twitter-er to it’s stream: EastBranchTeens. Can you see what they are doing? They are using their Twitter account to post information about the library, activities, new books and book reviews, things to do in Dayton for kids. They are also using Twitter to push information about their website.

Do you have a Little League website? A Youth Soccer website? An Athletic Foundation website? Do you have PTO news you need to get out?  You can use Twitter to push information, to keep your members informed, to go public with news.

Are you organizing a Relay for Life in the Dayton area? Do you run a Dayton area pet adoption center? Do you have a public service announcement? Create a Twitter account and tell the world in 140 characters or less- it’s easy, it’s fun, you really can do it, and I’ll help you out. Are you interested in learning more? Give me a shout at Teri@DaytonRE.com .

I told you about Rehab or Die, the home rehab blog from Cincinnati? I just found another home blog written from Cincy, with the focus being houses of all types.

Hooked on Housesis written by Julia Sweeten Knispel, from her blog:

My name is Julia Sweeten Knispel and I’m a real estate junkie. If you share my addiction to houses–you love looking at them, reading about them, decorating them, buying them, touring them, renovating them, and dreaming about them–then you’ve come to the right place.

Like Julia says, Hooked on Houses is a fantastic resource if you love homes, or love looking at homes, or are looking for inspiration for your home. Here’s a post she did about a before and after fireplace makeover in a ranch home. Beautiful, isn’t it? And definitely something a Huber Heights home could copy.

This blog is only a few months young, but it’s packed with fun, inspiration, and photos. There are links to sites all over the place, an impressive blogroll, and a great informal style. Go take a look, it’s fun for the whole family.

And next time you need a real estate fix, you know where to go.