Want to impress the family and house guests this Christmas season with the latest and greatest interior winter/holiday decor? Did I mention you can do it for free? Yep, that's right, absolutely free!  Follow these few easy steps to turn your wood floors into a magical snowscape!1. Don't ever look in the crawlspace or have it inspected..ever2. Neglect all exterior/interior crawlspace moisture management practices 3. Ensure the crawlspace has plenty of open foundation vents4. If there's a vapor barrier on the ground, remove it, as it traps moistureAmazing isn't it?  Once the "snow" starts, just keep feeding it humidity and moisture, just like a Chia pet for your floor!  For other budget-friendly holiday tips and clever ideas, be sure and visit my Pinterest page.  12/07/2017

How did you hear about us?Hickville Ohio Real Estate Agent - Sam Murphy http://www.realtor.com/realestateagents/Sam-Murphy_Defiance_OH_634931_526999623  What did you like most about our services?"Very Professional, Very Thorough Inspection and Report" What did you like least about our services?"Nothing to dislike" Comments/suggestions:"I was very impressed with your services and would recommend your company to anyone. Thank you for a job well done" Word-of-mouth referrals from clients who have used our services means everything to us.  We are also very grateful to professional Real Estate Agents, like Sam, who recommend us to their clients, because they know and trust us do the best job possible!-Josh & Celena ASPEC Residential Services, LLC  - Northwest Ohio Home Inspections  Since 200... 07/18/2016

The following excerpt was taken directly from a survey sent after a home inspection performed in Hicksville Ohio:  How did you hear about us?Real estate agent - Sam Murphy  - Hicksville Ohio Real Estate Professionalhttp://www.homes.com/real-estate-agents/sam-murphy/id-20595110/  What did you like most about our services?"Very thorough - Professional + friendly.  Extremely helpful" Comments/suggestions:"He showed us things that we would have no way of knowing on our own & info helped with our decision to purchase." Our clients are our always our best advertisement and your feedback is always appreciated! ASPEC Residential Services, LLC  - Northwest Ohio Home Inspections  Since 2007 - A local and established family-owned company specializing in comprehensive home inspections throughout No... 07/07/2016

An excerpt from a survey we send out with our printed reports.  Yes we still print & then mail or deliver all of our reports.  Why?  Because our clients tell us how much they like & appreciate them.  How did you hear about us?Word of mouth  (love when we hear this, because it means our clients are talking about us...in a good way! We must be doing something right!)What did you like most about our services?"Josh was excellent and took the time to explain every detail in person.  Made me feel very confident in his findings"Was the report easy to read & understand?Yes (keep in mind, most of our reports range from 85-100+ pages - just like a custom home owner's manual for their specific house!)What did you like least about our services?"Nothing - it was exceptional"Would you hire us again o... 03/07/2016

Another  satisfied customer.... How did you hear about us?Realtor(s): Curt/Beth Sigg http://nwres.net/aboutus.html# What did you like most about our services?"On time, efficient, well-written report, explained major defaults"What did you like least about our services?"N/A"Would you hire us again or recommend us to your friends/family?YesComments/Suggestions?"We knew about some of the big things that needed to be done to the home, but Josh was very thorough.  Thank you for helping us.  We did not get the house for the price we set, but because of the seller, not you. Thank you very much.  We will definitely use your services again." Feedback and customer satisfaction means everything to us and is the lifeblood of our business.  Thank you!   ASPEC Residential Services, LLC  - Northwest Oh... 01/25/2016

The ole' plumbing adage (by adding a few letters to the beginning of the title) is most certainly true and I'd like to touch on just how to help move it "down that hill".  Nothing like reading about sewage flow, no? Or you can just skip the reading, look at the pictures, leave a comment, and move on with your day :) The per-foot drop rate for wastewater and drainage pipes ideally is 1/4". In other words, the ideal number ratio to keep things movin' along properly.  And if the drain doesn't have enough slope, obviously the waste isn't going to flow properly. On the other hand, if there is too much or excessive slope, as shown in the picture (the green pipe), solids and liquids could start separating (a thumbs down installation). This installation may lead to "mounding" or collecting of s... 10/02/2013

Homes Are Selling in Defiance Ohio I thought it would be interesting to see if more homes were selling in Defiance than what they were at this time last year.  Below is the market statistics to show what the real estate market is doing  and where I believe it may be heading. Current homes for sale in Defiance 175 201  from January 1, 2012 - October 11, 2012 Average price $93,658 Average Days on Market 137 166 from January 1, 2011- October 11, 2011 Average price $93,919 Average Days on Market 123 Price Trend Chart January 1, 2011 - October 11, 2012   As you can see, the number of homes sold this year in Defiance compared to last year at this time has increased by 35 homes or an increase of 21%.  Not much has changed in the average sale price or days on market in that time but it does sug... 10/11/2012

Check Out Our Home Video Tours Have you seen our home video tours lately?  If you haven't then you've been missing one of the best parts of our website plus you've been missing the video tours of our newest listings. One of the best marketing tools that we use to help get homes sold is the use of our Video Tours.  The tours are a blend of photographs and video clips combined with music and a visual display. Why do we do them?  Well, pictures are a great way to get an idea of what a home looks like but when video is added one is able to get a better understanding of the layout and the feel of the house.  Over the years I've heard a number of times how much different a person thought a house was because the pictures didn't tell the whole story.  Well Video Tours help to clear up that clou... 08/06/2012

Is it possible? Is the housing inventory in Defiance low? Will we see a seller’s market in Defiance? Defiance and the N.W. Ohio are has experienced and abundant listings on the Real Estate market for quit a long time, this Spring the Defiance Real Estate market has changed!  Is a seller's market in our near future? Defiance listings that do exist are getting offers, if you are a seller in today’s market make sure you & your listed home are ready for a beauty pageant & a price war! You want your home to look better than everyone else’s and priced better than your competition… yes, it’s that simple, we can show you how!          Do you want to sell your Defiance area home?  Would you like a TEAM of 5 agents working for you?  Realty Five of Defiance wants your listing, inventory of listed ... 03/18/2012

FREE $5,000 DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE   I mentioned in a previous post about the Free Down Payment Assistance program coming to our area called Welcome Home Funds.  To find out all the details about this program go here. I've spoken to several of the area lenders and they are seeing more interest in the program this year than in previous years and are not expecting the money to last very long.  The amount of money they have to give is less than previous years too so if you are planning on using it, you need to find a house NOW! Remember its given out on a first come, first serve basis! Let us show you some homes today!   Scott 02/23/2012

Open House in Defiance 24 Hours A Day - 7 Days a Week Save gas this weekend and don't have to wait until Sunday afternoon to see what the homes of Defiance look like on the inside.  Just sit back in your easy chair with your feet up and let the Defiance Open House come to you.  With our multiple pictures, video tours and descriptions you will have a good idea if there is a house out there for you.  If you find one you like then we can set up an appointment to give you a personalized tour. Our website has so much to offer you that it's like having an Open House in Defiance every day!   Here are some video tours for you to see right now.   Scott Realty Five of DefianceDefiance, Ohio"We choose to give." 01/13/2012

Here is the Defiance High School Basketball Schedule for the remainder of 2011-2012 Boys Varsity Basketball Jan. 13 Ottawa-Glandorf ......H 6:00 Jan. 14 Wauseon High School ...... A 6:00 Jan. 20 Wapakoneta High School ...... A 6:00 Jan. 21 Fairview High School ......A 6:00 Jan. 24 Archbold High School ......H 6:00 Jan. 27 St. Mary's Memorial H.S. ......H 6:00 Jan. 28 Patrick Henry High School ......A 6:00 Feb. 3 Van Wert High School ......A 6:00 Feb. 10 Shawnee Local Schools ......A 6:00 Feb. 11 Lima Senior High School ......A 6:00 Feb. 17 Kenton High School ......H 6:00 Feb. 18 Rossford High School ......H 6:00 Feb 24 Elida High School ...... H 6:00 Girls Varsity Basketball Jan. 14 E.L. Bowsher High School ...... A 2:30Jan. 17 Bryan High School ...... H 6:00 Jan. 19 Wapakoneta High Sch... 01/13/2012

Why is Realty Five of Defiance a Team Real Estate Agency? Have you ever seen the television show Survivor?  The concept is actually quite simple.  Place a  dozen or so people in a deserted place, with limited resources and have them eliminate each other one by one until there is one survivor left to claim the prize. Many sales organizations, not just real estate, are designed in much the same way as the game of survivor.  They are designed to create competition within the organization to make them work harder to make them more successful.  In the show Survivor, the group of people are seperated into two teams.  Each team is then put through a series of contests against the other team and if they lose they are made to vote off one of their own teammates.   Sales organizations don't neces... 01/10/2012

  2012 A New Year of Opportunites First and foremost I want to take a moment to tell you all Happy New Year and may it truly be the best year of your life up to this point.  I also want to thank all those who have helped us make 2011 the best year Realty Five of Defiance has had.  We are so thankful for those of you who have supported us and have been our cheerleaders.  Without your enthusiastic support for us we could not have accomplished so much.  Thank you!!! 2011 saw many challenges in real estate.  The real estate market in the Defiance Ohio area did however, seem to make a slight turn from  the path it was taking in 2010 and the first part of 2011.  In 2010 the number of homes sold in the area designated by the Multiple Listing Service as areas Defiance, Ohio was 209 at an avera... 01/01/2012

Realty Five of Defiance has now gone Mobile and you don't even have to download an app.  If you are wanting to search homes that are for sale all you have to do is go to www.realtyfive.com and you will automatically be connected to a mobile friendly site to search all listings. One of the greatest tools of this new mobile site is the ability to look up any house for sale by a local Realtor and get all the information about it. Try it out yourself!  I'm sure you'll agree it's a great new tool in the home buying and selling process!   Scott 12/19/2011

Realty Five of Defiance has now gone Mobile! If you have been someone who has spent any time on our website this past week, I'm sure you've noticed that we've been going through some changes in how home searches are done. As a company we've always tried to use the latest technology in order to give our customers the best possible service and we believe this latest upgrade has truly helped to make the home buying and selling experience even better. The most exciting aspect of our new home search tool is the addition of our site becoming Mobile friendly.  If you have a mobile phone that has internet browsing capabilities you can now go to www.realtyfive.com and easily navigate our site to search homes. You don't even have to download any apps to get this to work.  You simply have to go to... 12/16/2011

NEW Lisitng in Defiance, Ohio located in the charming sub division of Pine Ridge... Wouldn't your Christmas, Easter & Birthday dinners be delightful in this family friendly kitchen dining room combination at 100 W. Pinewood, Defiance? It is ready to show and available to purchase! Pride in ownership is evident here and it shows! This home has been so well cared for and updated from 2008 to present. Comfort, style & function… it has it all~ Attractive landscaping & a flagstone stone patio greet you at the friendly front door inviting you inside this 3 bed room ranch home! Once inside you will agree with me when I tell you, it is bigger than it appears from the road, come on in and take a look around! It will be easy to make yourself at home here; the current owners have completed many up... 11/27/2011

Are you looking at a better return on your hard earned investments? There are currently 21 homes in Defiance, Ohio that are currently for sale for under $40,000. Some of these are homes that were foreclosed upon, some are heading for foreclosure and others are just available because someone needs to sell them. With this many homes available, the opportunities for someone who is tired of seeing their 401K or their stocks continue to lose value are limitless. Have you thought of the return you could have on owning a property as a rental? The Defiance real estate market is currently demonstrating a strong home rental market which leads directly to great returns on rental homes. For instance, if you were to purchase a 3 bedroom home for $30,000 you could potentially rent it out for anywhere... 11/16/2011

Defiance area homes sell better when they offer a little more formal space called "The Dining Room" If your dining room could talk, what would it have to say? When I was growing up our Defiance family home had a dining room, most of the time it was a 'walk through" space to get to the kitchen or the living room. We used the dining room table as our homework area, the cat loved the dining room table, it held both our Easter Baskets and our school books! I can remember my graduation cake and it was proudly displayed on our dining room table along with many Thanksgiving dinners! Oh the conversations a dining room table must hear... If you are searching for a home with a dining room Realty Five of Defiace has many of them for sale, we can't include the conversations & the memories a dining ... 10/27/2011

I had the opportunity to stop over at the United Way of Defiance County today and meet with Carrie Wetstein, the executive director. It was great to finally put a face to a name. We've had the blessing to send a few donations checks to the United Way in the past few weeks and I discovered a little bit more of what they are doing there. As a matter of fact, she was heading out to the Defiance elementary school today to hand out hundreds of backpacks full of food to children and their families. I don't know if any of the funds we were able to donate to the United Way through our Give 5 for Charity program were involved in this or not but I like to think they did. It truly is an honor to be a part of a business that is able to give back to our community organizations who are able to multip... 10/01/2011