Dec. 27, 2006 - Columbus Makes the List

"Hot spots, cold spots" ranking US cities from Best to Worst..... 100 Markets by Money.CNN.com

Columbus:

Regional rank 8
National rank 34
2007 Projected price change + 2.9%
2008 Projected price change + 2.3%
*Median Home Price $150,160 

According to Moody's economy.com and FISERV Lending Solutions in Money.CNN.com story online:

" The Midwest: Steady market"

"The Northeast: Slowdown on the way"

"The South: Strong outlook"

"The West: Chill on the coast"

Rank in the midwest (Steady market) in parenthesis rank among the 100 US Cities

1.  Youngstown (18)
2.  Wichita (20)
3.  Akron (25)
4.  Cleveland (28)
5.  Gary (30)
6.  Toledo (31)
7.  Indianapolis (33)
8.  Columbus (34)
9.  Omaha (35)
10. Cincinatti (38)
11. Chicago (41)
12. Grand Rapids (42) 
13. St. Louis (46)
14. Dayton (49)
15. Kansas City (50)
16. Lake- Kenosha Counties Ill & WIS (55)
17. Minneapolis-St.Paul (57) 
18. Milwaukee (59)
19. Farmington Hills Troy Michigan (60) 
20. Detroit-Dearborn (64) 

Nationally #1 McAllen- Mission Texas, #100 Stockton California according to the list....

* Median price - we don't often quote median price much in our MLS.   A link to recent Central Ohio Market Report (all counties) shows the median sale price by month in the very bottom row of the table.   Mostly we quote average price, it makes a lot more sense...  Median does not mean a lot..... Sellsius° Blog told me so... "The Mesmerizing Magic of the Median: Statistical Sleight of Hand?"  Average price (Median Prices fraternal twin according to Sellsius) both list and sale is higher, of course.

Thanks to Jim Lee of Knoxville TN  for bringing this info to my attention.  The South: Strong outlook, Knoxville is projected to be number 15 nationally in the US... a hot spot in 2007... 

c. 2006 Columbus Best Blog

Dec. 27, 2006 - New Years Resolutions

There are two Issues to vote on here.  Hit the "Vote!" button after "I make new years resolutions for other people" to vote, "Yes", "No"  or "I make New Years...." for Issue 1.  Hit the "Vote!" button  

Issue 1: New Years Resolutions - Do you make them?

Issue 2 : New Years Resolutions - Do you keep them?

Or to see what others have resolved for them....

c. 2006 Columbus Best Blog

Dec. 27, 2006 - Poll Results New Years Resolutions

Dec. 26, 2006 - It Stinks!

It's from Columbus and it stinks.

Tracy Turner of  The Columubus Dispatch wrote of a new game:

 "A new board game created by a pair of Columbus gamers really stinks. And its designers couldn’t be happier.  Called P.U. the Guessing Game of Smells, the game challenges young players to race through a Candyland-like board that requires them to choose various scratch-and-sniff cards. Those cards release a range of smells from roses to dog poop. "

Columbusites Russell Pinto and Dale Harris both immigrants to the US developed the game, P.U. the Guessing Game of Smells.

From "The Publisher" on 'The Game Preserve' website:

"Odorville is made up of different venues where people today encounter smell. Rigorous market testing among kids and parents help identify the venues. The game starts out at a farm and then proceeds to the beach, garbage dump, laundry, candle shops, restaurants, outdoors, garages and ends at the carnival. The board is littered with over 300 elements of smell."

According to an online toy store, The Game Preserve, the game is for children aged seven to ten.

C. 2006 Columbus Ohio