And when I say overwhelming, I’m talking about 9-out-of-10 — 90% for those not so good at math — home buyers are starting the search online.

That’s really cool. But when it comes to Delaware, Ohio real estate there is one site that is heads-and-tails above the rest of the county.

You’re on it.

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“Hey Tob we heard you on the radio. How cool is that!”

Okay, so I paid for an advertisement on WTDA-FM 103.9 in Columbus. Which isn’t quite as cool as being on the radio as a guest — or on the police blotter — but it is a lot better for business.

Take a listen to it now!Similar Posts:

• The Home Search Begins Online, Is Your Agent?
• Boyce Selected to Serve on State Communications Committee
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Well Outright is a great – basic  but robust – book keeping software that allows you to manage your funds without the over-whelming or under-performing options that are also on the market.

And it is free. How do you beat that? Well … you can’t.

If you are following the Millionaire Real Estate model of tracking your expenses I have created the expense and income categories in CSV format which can be downloaded and imported into the program.

• MREA list of Expenses
• MREA list of Income

Good luck and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to give me a call or I’ve found the Outright folks to be wonderful to work with.Similar Posts:

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Toby will be part of a home forum the first Monday of each month.

Toby Boyce, REALTOR® with Keller Williams Consultants Realty, and David Zambo, loan officer with Park National Bank, will be hosting an open forum on housing on January 4, 2010 at the Park National Bank office in Worthington from 6 – 7 p.m.

The event will be an opportunity for those – whether they are home buyers or sellers – with real estate related questions to have them answered in a low-pressure setting. The forum will be conducted the first Monday of every month throughout the spring.

Park National Bank is located at 7140 North High Street in Worthington, Ohio.Similar Posts:

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Toby Boyce named to OAR Communications Committee for 2010. (photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian)

Toby Boyce, REALTOR® with Keller Williams Consultants Realty, has been named to the Ohio Association of REALTORS® Communications Committee for 2010 it was recently announced by the organization.

The communications committee works to promote the term REALTOR®, the professional expertise of REALTORS® and the Ohio Association of REALTORS® in all ways possible, particularly to local boards and members. To encourage local board involvement in state and national public relations programs. To encourage member and board involvement in community housing and development programs. To allow members to share experiences and learn of opportunities to become active in fostering, conducting and promoting such programs for the benefit of their communities.

Boyce has been a full-time professional real estate agent in central Ohio for the past three years. In addition, he has served on committees for the Delaware County Board of REALTORS®, the Ohio Association of REALTORS® and will also serve on a National Association of REALTORS® committee in the coming year.

Boyce resides in Delaware with his wife and dog. He is a native of Danville, Ohio, and graduated from Danville High School, earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Union College, and his Master’s in Business Administration from Heidelberg College.

For more information contact Toby Boyce at toby@tobysellshomes.com or 740-990-9748.Similar Posts:

• Boyce Earns Short-Sale Designation
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Gretchen paints the hand of my niece at the Bare Bowl to make a painted plate at the Bare Bowl in downtown Delaware.

They may not be offering door-busting deals on televisions, but they’ve got some wonderful creative gifts in downtown Delaware, Ohio.

And you should be sure to stop and support these local businesses as they create a better community for us in our wonderful community.

I was showing houses to a buyer the other day and she said, “I love how Delaware has a distinct downtown district. It just seems that so many of the other towns around Columbus have lost that.”

However, if we spend all our money in Polaris, Easton, or any of the other faceless mega-shopping centers that surround us, then what becomes of our quaint downtown? It will continue to suffer. The economy is tough enough on all of us, so please give them the opportunity to earn your dollar. I think you’ll like what you find.Similar Posts:

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“I know our October List is coming out a little late, but there is a reason,” wrote Roost’s Derek Overby. “I attended RE BlogWorld last week and knew I would meet some great new real estate folks so I held off posting this new list till now. We really hope you enjoy this month’s installment because even we found some great people we weren’t following.”

A screen shot of Roost.com

The list includes the top-fifty twitter users for real estate and Boyce is joined by Danielle Daniels, of Marion, Ohio, as the only two Ohio real estate professionals on the current list.

Boyce has been a full-time professional real estate agent in central Ohio for the past three years. He has served on committees for the Delaware County Board of REALTORS®, the Ohio Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.

Boyce resides in Delaware with his wife and dog. He is a native of Danville, Ohio, and graduated from Danville High School, earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Union College, and his Master’s in Business Administration from Heidelberg College.

Roost (www.roost.com) is a leading residential real estate search engine which directs consumers to a hosted network of real estate broker and agent “IDX” websites. Their mission is to provide the perfect search for the perfect home.

It is an honor to be part of their list — some really cool real estate folks on here if you aren’t following them.Similar Posts:

• Boyce Selected to Serve on State Communications Committee
• The Home Search Begins Online, Is Your Agent?

We've all wondered if we could make it as a real estate agent at some time or another.

We’ve all had those moments when we’ve said, “I’d be good at a career in real estate” and according to a recent Careebuilder.com article, “10 Stressful Jobs That are Worth it“, it is worth thinking about.

According to the article, real estate is considered one of the top-ten jobs with a heavy amount of stress that is actually worth the level of stress required.

Why is that?

• Own Your Own Business. My brokerage is Keller Williams Consultants Realty in Dublin, Ohio — but ask me about my business and you’ll hear about Ohio Home Team, llc. That’s because I OWN my own business. If I put in the time and build the book of business, then the money is mine. I share with the brokerage, but the majority of the money goes back into my business and helping my family.
• Unlimited Income Potential. You’re not on salary, there is no boss telling you that your hours are being cut to 30. Does this mean that every agent makes millions of dollars in a year? Of course not. The average agent barely makes the poverty level.
• Control Your Own Schedule. I’m not going to blow sunshine and claim you can make $1,000,000 working part-time hours. You can’t — at least to begin with. It takes a lot of time and hard-work to make money in real estate, but it is great when you have control over your schedule. I like spending time with my family, so I will clear a portion of my schedule to spend time with them. Or if you don’t really like your family, you can fill that time with more work and continue to build your business. Your call.
• Low-Cost of Entry. Try to start a coffee shop and you’ll be staring at least a $10,000 bill before the doors even open. Pick-up your classes at Hondros for $1,199 and get licensed by the state of Ohio. Then find a broker and join a board and you’ll be looking at about another $1,000. So for less than $2,500 you’ll be set-up and ready to start selling houses.

I rarely get to “drink the cool ade” on the site, because that isn’t why most people are reading this. But if you have been thinking about getting into real estate I would strongly suggest Keller Williams Realty — and in central Ohio Keller Williams Consultants Realty — as your brokerage of choice.

The difference in my mind is education. You come here to learn about the real estate market (second) and what is happening in Delaware (first). So you like to be educated on what is going on around you — and that’s why I love Keller Williams.

Head to our Dublin office, located at 5400 Frantz Road, Suite 100, and ask them to see the training calendar — or just drop me an e-mail — and you’ll see a schedule with at least one, but usually more, training opportunities every single day.

If you are interested in learning more about being an agent – in particular a Keller Williams agent — check it out online.

That’s enough spilling of the cool ade today.Similar Posts:

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Today would have been Dad’s 54th birthday. There isn’t a day that goes by that this great man doesn’t cross my mind. I miss him so much, but am thankful to have had him in my life for so long.

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How long a term should I take in my real estate mortgage?

The question is as old as the mortgage market. The “basic” answer is that the length of the term should be just long enough that the payment is not a strain on your personal finance, but gets you out of debt as quckly as possible.

Taking a look at the mortgage rates provided by Fifth Third Bank’s Bill Channell on Friday afternoon, we see the difference in a 15- and 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgage based on dollars and cents.

Balancing your family's budget is the only way to select a mortgage product. (art by ivan petrov)

Okay, so we assumed 20% downpayment to avoid introducing private-mortgage insurance (PMI) into the equation.

The first-thing we notice is that by going 15 extra years on your mortgage you’ll save 29 percent, or $226.91, per month. However that “benefit” will also cost you nearly $60,000 in extra interest charges.

If you are a follower of David Ramsey, then you’ll know his response would be to go with the 15-year loan and put yourself in a financial position to pay it off quicker. Ramsey and those like him are “interest avoiders” and will do anything to avoid paying extra – or any – interest on purchases.

While this is a noble concept, there is another side to the coin — those that have to keep the budget in mind. If I was independently wealthy, then it would be easy to hand-out the advise of the interest avoiders, but for the majority of Americans the concept is “will it work within my monthly budget”. I realized just how prevelant this had become when I recently was looking at a new car and they wouldn’t give me a price, but only the cost per month.

Which is better?

Well like I have to say a lot on here — that depends on your situation. Do you want chocolate or vanilla? Well now that you’ve selected chocolate do you want the Ghiradeli or the local-store brand? Each one has its benefits and can be beneficial to you — but it just depends on what is best for your financial situation at today and into the future.

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