My friend Glen and I do a lot of hiking in and around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It is an incredible place that always provides for something interesting to see or do. Yesterday, we went on a hike to go see a nesting pair of Bald Eagles.  Thankfully, a park ranger was there with high-powered binoculars so we got a very closeup look at the eagle in the nest as well as the other half of the pair in a nearby tree. The Scenic Railroad also cruised by.  We ran into an old neighbor of mine who was out riding her bike and the weather cooperated. I hope you get out and get to savor and appreciate our nation's beauty as well! Happy Spring to you!  My telephoto lens would only reach so far -- the area was blocked off so they are not interrupted.  You can see the white head sticking out o... 03/21/2010

The Cleveland Basketball School's (CBS) 1st March session starts this Saturday, March 13th from 9am - 12pm at the Blossom Hill Basketball Facility. Paul Haught, owner of CBS and his staff do an excellent job of teaching all things basketball: shooting passing dribbling offense defense jump roping ladder drills agility quickness speed My son has taken several sessions at CBS and boy is he worn out at the end of each session and I couldn't be happier that his basketball skills are developing and he gets great exercise and has fun in the process. If you have a youth that loves basketball, this is an exceptional organization to utilize.   03/10/2010

Here are the March 2010 real estate market statistics for the community of Echo Hills in the City of Brecksville, Ohio community in Northeast Ohio. Echo Hills a unique community within the City of Brecksville.  There are 303 homes in Echo Hills, primarly built in the 1950s-60s in the original section (Echo Hill Drive entrance) and in the 1970s-80s built by Ryan Homes (1970s) and Sherwood Construction (1980s) with entrances off Deer Run and Old Orchard Drive.  Echo Hills is unique in that it has a swimming lake, complete with lifeguard and sand, a fishing lake, volleyball court, soccer nets/field, firepit, baseball/softball diamond, community playground with picnic tables for parties, and many events held throughout the year, such as the end-of-school-year bonfire, fall festival, Christm... 03/07/2010

Brecksville residents, don't miss Mayor Hruby's State of the City Address to be held onWednesday, February 24th, 2010at 6:00p.m. Desserts and beveragesand at7:00 p.m.for the addressThe event is being sponsored byThe Brecksville Chamber of Commerceand will begin with the presentation of the Chamber's annual Citizen of the Year Award andThe Business of the Year AwardThis will be followed by Mayor Hruby's addresswhich will includea question and answer session Refreshments compliments of  theBrecksville Chamber of Commerce 02/23/2010

I just read an article on Ohio.com that two bald eagles have returned to a nest in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) !  Given the history of pesticides and the decline of this wonderful species in the 1970s, this is exciting to hear that they are making a comeback.  They are in fact, no longer on the endangered species list. I regularly hike on the Towpath Trail in the CVNP and go by that area on occasion. Since I live within walking distance of the CVNP, I will occasionally hear owls, see foxes and coyotes and other wildlife as I love hiking the Buckeye Trail and off the beaten path with another friend/fellow hiker of mine. 02/18/2010

Below you will see the inventory and absorption rate data for single family homes in Brecksville Ohio. The records for closed sales are only for the past 6 months.  The absorption rate is how many months it will take to sell your home as it relates to the amount of inventory and closed sales. If there have been 30 sales in the past 6 months, that equals 5 sales per month. If there are 50 available listings then it will take approximately 10 months to sell your home. These are averages and there are other factors that will come into play for every homeowner, such as the condition and specific location of your home, and most importantly, the price you choose. Also note that the absorption rate will typically be higher in the last quarter of the year and in the beginning of the first quar... 02/08/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale from $1,000,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and around Brecksville ... 02/03/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale between $700,000 - $1,000,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and aroun... 02/03/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale between $500,000 - $700,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and around ... 02/03/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale between $350,000 - $500,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and around ... 02/03/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale between $250,000 - $350,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and around ... 02/03/2010

Brecksville Ohio Homes For Sale up to $250,000. As a Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and a REALTOR with strong negotiating experience, I would be happy to assist you with your next home purchase or sale in the Brecksville Ohio real estate marketplace. View the February 2010 Brecksville Real Estate Market Report. Various Brecksville Neighborhood Real Estate Market Reports: Echo Hills Chippewa Hills Heather Hills Bradford Village Chapel Hill Preston Village A Stone's Throw Crane Creek Brecksville Ohio Rated #2 of 20 Best Affordable Places to Retire. View a few of my favorite Brecksville local businesses: Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe Paul Duda Gallery Frankie's Wok Chinese Restaurant Clip-ity Clop Horse Tack Brecksville Donut & Coffee Shop Fun things to do in and around Brecksville O... 02/03/2010

Here are the February 2010 real estate market statistics for the Brecksville, Ohio community in Northeast Ohio Absorption Rates and Months Housing Supply These two terms are one piece of the puzzle to help real estate agents, appraisers, home sellers and buyers alike make sense out of the real estate market. This is a little-known, but effective tool, if used in proper context, to help a home seller or buyer understand the market conditions for the home they wish to sell or buy. The easiest way to define these two terms is with an example: Absorption Rates (AR)- The rate at which homes are selling (ie. absorbed), over a specific time period, typically 12 months.  This is beneficial in determining supply and demand trends for the local market. Months Housing Supply (MHS) - How long it wi... 02/03/2010

Activities abound in the beautiful city of Brecksville Ohio! In the summer enjoy the pools at the community center, hike the miles and miles of the breathtaking park system, play a round or two of golf at Sleepy Hollow, or stroll the gazebo on the square. But when old man winter comes calling, enjoy an evening at the races or dance the night away with the man (or little girl) in your life!     An Evening at the Races The Brecksville Firefighters Association presents “An Evening at the Races” at The New Orleans Party Center on Brecksville Road on Saturday, February 6. The doors open at 5:30 pm. A buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 pm. The event is BYOB, beer and soda will be provided. The “races” will be shown on video and are for entertainment purposes only. There will be trophy winni... 01/10/2010

Brecksville Ohio Real Estate Market Report for Fourth Quarter 2009 It is typical for the market to slow down this time of year, but we still saw an overall decline in closed and pending sale prices in 4th quarter compared to 3rd. A few exceptions here and there but not enough to say the market improved much. Much of the business in the first quarter of 2010 will have been written in the 4th quarter so it remains to be seen if we will see a little more in the way of improvement. If you're planning to sell your home in 2010, the right price will be critical.       BRECKSVILLE   SINGLE FAMILY CONDOS # OF ACTIVE LISTINGS 87 32 AVG. SQFT. 3485 1463 AVG. PRICE PER SQFT. $132.59 $95.10 AVG. MARKET TIME 194 237 AVG. LIST PRICE $463,330 $141,806 AVG. SALE PRICE N/A N/A       # OF CONTINGENT LIST... 01/08/2010

A Warm ReMax Trinity Welcome to Jeannine Dyer Bill Dyer Sheila Stupka Ann Laudato Mike Fanous Sue Spalsbury Lou Biasiotta and Mike Coljohn   I'm looking forward to a great year as we get to know each other. Again, welcome aboard! 01/02/2010

I was driving down the road today and noticed a real estate for sale sign with a rider that said: Shown by Appointment Since I was driving, it's easy to let your mind wander (much to the dismay of safety officials) but what the heck, it sure beats texting, eating and jamming to music simultaneously.  Disclaimer:  I don't text when driving, eating and jamming are separate issues. Anyway, I got to thinking, what does this rider really convey?  More importantly, what does it NOT mean? Shown by Appointment -- as opposed to what?  Perhaps the opposite of this rider could be: No Appointment Necessary Open 24x7 Everyone...come on in, anytime Shown only on Mondays between 10-11am Shown Next Week Does this rider say to any consumer on the street: All I have to do is simply call the agent, make a... 12/19/2009

Owners Jim and Judy Darwal of ReMax Trinity Open Their Home Again for a Wonderful Christmas Party!! Last Saturday, owners Jim and Judy Darwal invited us all to their home for our annual Christmas party. We had some lenders and title reps to round out the crowd. Not much talk of real estate, which was o.k. with everyone. The food was spectacular as usual and included shrimp cocktail, ham, salad, warm pasta, stuffed mushrooms, and rumaki. The desserts were decadent with cheesecake, carrot cake, and a chocolate torte. No shortage of drinks either! When we left, we were each given one of the beautiful poinsettias that adorned their home. You can see one of them in the pictures. Though the party is always nice, what is more special to me is the hard work Jim and Judy do to make ReMax Trinity... 12/08/2009

Brecksville Ohio Real Estate Market Report for Oct./Nov. 2009 Below you will find the market statistics for Oct. and Nov. 2009 for Brecksville Ohio.  Active, contingent, and pending sales dropped but the closed sales are back to a more normal number for Brecksville.  Fourth quarter sales typically slow down and we are seeing that now. The tax credit extension should help to keep sales somewhat steady and perhaps be the catalyst for earlier sales in the first quarter of 2010, which was not the case in the early part of 2009. Pricing will continue to be key to getting homes sold.   BRECKSVILLE   SINGLE FAMILY CONDOS # OF ACTIVE LISTINGS 87 34 AVG. SQFT. 3498 1474 AVG. PRICE PER SQFT. $131.05 $96.13 AVG. MARKET TIME 185 235 AVG. LIST PRICE $468,025 $144,217 AVG. SALE PRICE N/A N/A       # ... 12/07/2009

Some residential property owners are fortunate enough to have a stream running through their property or perhaps their property adjoins a common area or some other entity that has a stream. People are willing to pay higher prices for property with natural amenities such as wildlife, streams, lakes, ponds, panoramic views, etc. For people who have a stream on their property, there are six easy things to do that can help maintain the health and vitality of your stream and also benefit your downstream neighbors.   Don't mow the lawn to the edge of the stream. Leave a buffer.  Eliminating the plants and bushes in the buffer zone causes the root systems to be lost and creates more erosion problems. Plant live, but dormant, unrooted cuttings (no buds, leaves or visible roots) in the buffer zo... 11/15/2009