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Columbus & Central Ohio, United States
DeLena Ciamacco is a well-known, respected Top Producing Realtor in Central Ohio. Her myriad of accomplishments, recognition, and professional credentials as they relate to Real Estate, make her a perfect individual to provide insight to the masses on all aspects of Real Estate sales. Her creativity and honest approach to marketing Real Estate has enabled her to succeed in her career. DeLena’s philosophy is “An educated and well prepared Buyer or Seller is a smart Buyer or Seller”. Her desire is to inform the public, by pulling from her 20+ years of Real Estate sales & Marketing, what is necessary to get to a successful closing in these challenging times.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

7 real estate investing lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs



I recently read the book "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. As brilliant as Steve Jobs was, I came away from the book not with a sense of awe about the man who Steve Jobs was, but how despite his incredible success, how idiosyncratic and deeply flawed a human being he really was.



Yes, he was a certifiable genius, although in some ways "certifiable" as well.



Yes, we'll never see anyone else exactly like him, although Apple's stock price has done quite well since his death



Yes, in American business, he will live in the pantheon of Edison, Einstein, and Ford, and he really thought he belonged there.



Yes, he did leave an indelible mark on our society - in fact, totally revolutionizing five separate industries nearly simultaneously...but he deeply hurt many people on the way in his rise to near mythic status.



Despite his greatness, he made tons of mistakes, cruelly alienated lots of people including his own daughter, and did some curiously unethical things in his relatively brief time on this earth. No doubt, the further you probe into the true personal lives of your "heroes" oftentimes the more you find, the less you like.



I came away from reading the book in a word - exhausted, but exhilarated at the same time. In fact, it was refreshing in a way to know that although Jobs was "Steve Jobs the icon", he's just a guy like you and me. I realized that you don't have to be perfect to be great. And although there are many traits of Jobs I would never emulate in my own life, I felt like there were so many brilliant lessons that can be learned from him not only as a businessman and real estate investor, but as many lessons in what not to do as a father, a husband and a human being.



The bottom line is this: you, I and anyone can be great. There are multiple paths to ultimate success in life and in real estate investing, and there are multiple lessons Steve Jobs can teach the real estate investor and which can be learned by you.



The Top Seven Real Estate Investing Lessons Steve Jobs Taught Us



1. Fear Not



Jobs was plagued by strange idiosyncrasies. His diet, his odd personal habits, his driving without a license plate, his parking in handicapped zones just to name a few. But one thing he was blessed with was a total and utter lack of fear. Lack of fear comes from many things; self-confidence, optimism, even delusions of grandeur (checkmarks on all three for Jobs here). One thing's for sure, he had enormous amounts of self-confidence. He felt he was special and that he was put on this earth to do great things by creating the technical marvels which ultimately influenced and bettered the lives of millions of people. Those innovations still affect us all each and every day.



Even in the face of terminal pancreatic cancer, he seemed to have an almost irrational sense of self-confidence and lack of fear. His self-confidence was so great; he actually thought that he could cure himself with oddball diets and rituals, while shunning traditional medicine - medicine that just may have saved his life. Incredibly, he seemed to have a complete absence of fear of the one thing that most of us are deathly afraid of...death itself.



It's terrifying to buy your first house flip, for sure. But is it as fearful as death? Keep things in perspective in order to control fear. Think of the worst case scenario if you do what you're fearful of. If you can handle the worst case pain and aggravation, then do it. If Steve Jobs could fearlessly stare down death, you can do the same.



If you're just starting, then make your first real estate purchase. If you've been around the block a few times, try a new investment strategy you've never done before. When you face your fears and do what you fear most, you end up controlling your fears.



2. Pick Yourself Up Even After Your Failures



Can you imagine the humiliation of being fired by the guy you picked to run your company? In one of the most public firings in corporate history, Steve Jobs was fired. This was big news when it happened, sending shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and the rest of the corporate world. Jobs did wallow for a short period of time, sure. But he picked himself up and created a new company that was ultimate bought by the company and the successor he was fired by.



If you are new to real estate investing and you lose a few thousand on your first deal because you overestimate your ARV, didn't stick by the 70% Rule or failed to tightly manage your general contractors, then provided the few thousand didn't bankrupt you, pick yourself up and try again.



It's not how many times we fail; it's how many times we get back up after failure that counts most.



3. Marry Art and Functionality



Many of us have iPhones. If you have one nearby while reading this or on the desktop beside you, pick it up. Feel the weight, notice the elegant stainless steel wrapping, the Gorilla glass screen, the smooth back. Swipe a few apps from side to side, browse the Internet, touch an app and see how they all gently jiggle to be deleted or modified. If you think all these enhancements and subtle artistic nuances of the device (since copied by the Google platform) are random, think again.



Jobs dissected each of these features and weighed them for weeks and months prior to being introduced by Apple. And each feature indelibly bears his thumbprint - his signature. He married art and functionality to create everlasting products and innovation that will affect generations to come.



There are lots of posts on this website that discuss the "steps" to real estate investing, house flipping, wholesaling, you name it. Follow these steps here and learn as much as you can. But then, put your own thumbprint on each of them - just like Steve Jobs did with each of his creations.



Is there only one way to rehab a house for maximum resale? No way.



Is there only one way to round up funding for your next apartment building? Not a chance.



Virtually anyone can become a real estate investor as long as they have the desire and the ambition, but to become a massive success, it's going to take more than just what you learn from others. Its going to require you to put your own indelible stamp on every deal you do. Think like Steve jobs in how you can make your flip or rental a little bit different, enhanced or beautiful...marry art with functionality.



4. Listen to Your Inner Voice



When you are new to real estate investing, you have no voice in your head. If you do have one, that voice is usually screaming to you "don't do it!"



However, the more deals you do, a different inner voice starts to appear. This is the voice of experience.



Maybe you are thinking about becoming a real estate investor and there's something that has stopped you from doing it. You went to school, you got a good job in finance or sales or maybe you're a doctor or a dentist - but there's something missing. When we don't listen to our inner voice, we mail it in, we do what we do on autopilot.



You're reading this blog most likely because you want something more. You want to create the life you've always wanted. THAT is the inner voice calling you.



Ignore it at your own peril.



Jobs' inner voice screamed "change the world" - a pretty dramatic vision and a pretty big voice. He built computers to do it. That was his plan.



What's yours?



One thing that's abundantly clear with Jobs is that despite his many imperfections, he lived his life with very few regrets. He followed his inner voice. Whatever that voice is telling you, it would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, become a full-time real estate investor, move to Tibet or become a gourmet sushi chef, listen to it.



Live life with no regrets.



5. Expect More from Yourself and From Others



Jobs was a real prick sometimes. He would berate people. He would yell at people. He would throw little temper tantrums. He was a totally obsessive control freak.



And of course, he was an absolute perfectionist.



He demanded this from himself and he demanded the same from everyone who worked for him. I am not saying that the WAY Jobs did it was right, far from it. He seemed like a real jerk to work for.



But one thing's for sure, he pushed people to places where they never thought they were capable of going. He expected this of himself and he expected it from everyone who worked for him.



Do it in your own way and do the same thing in your real estate investment career. If you need to get upset, do it. Don't overdo it or you will find nobody will want to work with you, so be careful. But shoot for perfection and settle for excellence at the very least.



Jobs built products that revolutionized the world using this philosophy and he did it in his own way...so you do it in your own way. But don't try to be him. Be yourself and expect a lot from everyone and most importantly expect the absolute most from yourself.



6. Surround Yourself with the Most Talented People You Can Find



Steve Jobs gets all the credit when you think of the legacy of greatness at Apple. Sounds good, but it's simply not true.



Yes, Jobs made the ultimate decisions in all matters Apple from the type of sandstone used in Apple stores to the kind of glass used on iPhone screens. But what's less known is that he surrounded himself with some brilliant minds that simply made him and Apple better.



Jobs surrounded himself with serious talent: the true mastermind behind the iPhone and iPad design Jony Ive, now CEO Steve Cook, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Toy Story creator John Lesseter, just to name a few. These super-talented people (not the faceless minions kowtowing to Jobs every whim as we may want to believe) don't get the credit they rightfully deserve.



In real estate investing, surrounding yourself with an incredibly talented and knowledgeable team, including lawyers, real estate agents, general contractors, etc. - people in many cases who know far more than you - is just as important in real estate investing as it was in building one of the great companies of our generation. Steve Jobs realized that he couldn't do anything without great talent around him.



How about you?



7. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish



Success in anything in life is consistently looking to improve, to grow, to build and also to have fun. If you're going to do it for the majority of the time you have in any given day, shouldn't it be fun too? Jobs summed up this philosophy of innovation, creativity and fun in his memorable 2005 Stanford commencement address (check it out on YouTube if you haven't):



"When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.



Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.



Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."



We can be just as special as he was and although we may not all build the next Apple; we can build excellence in what we do every day as real estate investors. As was previously reported on this blog, we as real estate investors not only enrich the lives of thousands of people every year with quality housing, but we create jobs and opportunities to the tune of $9.2 billion per year as well.



What we do as real estate investors matters. Jobs would agree that is a worthy dream to pursue. And we all can learn much from him - both the good and the bad. But best of all, you don't have to be perfect in to be wildly successful like Steve Jobs.



In fact, anything's possible in life if you continue to follow the simple lessons laid out above.



Author: Mike LaCava



Mike's Website: http://www.houseflippingschool.com



Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Early holiday shopping can help you budget better



This holiday season is busy, so it might be a good idea to holiday shop early, which can help you spread out expenses and find the best deals.



The holiday decorations have been up in stores since Labor Day. Retailers seem interested in helping you tackle your gift list, even if the bluebird is still flitting around your bird feeders and the only white stuff you've seen was in the snow cone you had at the Labor Day picnic.



Here are some reasons why you should start your holiday shopping early:



* Avoid crowds, lines and the general holiday craziness. You also can avoid the picked-over shelves, ensuring you have good-quality gifts to present to friends and family this year.



* Spread your payments out over several months, instead of receiving one large - and potentially unmanageable - bill in December or January.



* You'll have plenty of time to make sure the gifts are wrapped and shipped to arrive before the party.



* Be the first to purchase the "hot" gift of the season for any children on the list. Make sure you let everyone know that the item is off the table so they don't try to also purchase it.



Now that you've started putting together your idea list, here are some tips to help you find the best deals on those ideas:



* Get online and take advantage of websites dedicated to shopping. Try Fatwallet.com and its shopper forums to research the best deals. Use Ebates.com and its cash back shopping program to earn cash back on everything you buy over the holidays. The check will arrive just in time to help pay your bills. If you want, you can designate all or part of your cash back to a favorite charity to help get your holiday spirit started early. In addition you can go to AnyCoupons.com to find coupons on nearly anything you'll buy.



* Check out brand and product websites for upcoming news and promotions for specific items on your list. Since you've planned ahead, you can take advantage of these special promotions.



* Take the time to find unique stores that might not be available in your community. Use Ebates to find specialty stores and boutiques all across the country that may offer an item at a cheaper price than if you were to shop at a retail store that has to pay middleman prices.



When you have your shopping wrapped up early, you'll be sure to thank yourself as you settle into the holiday season and enjoy the celebrations and activities, rather than stressing over making it to the mall for some last-minute gifts.



Haunted Places of Ohio... Presented By DeLena Ciamacco | Akron Civic Center

LG's Ghost
Civic Theatre's Ghostly Trio - A janitor, a well-dressed man & a girl who committed suicide all have been said to haunt one of Akron Ohio's finest theatres... The Civic Center.
Read below for more details.
 Visit my website for additional information about Real Estate and our Central Ohio Market!  www.DeLena.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Words from the Expert...DeLena Ciamacco - Don't "Fall" For the Wrong Home



Don't “Fall” For the Wrong Home
When you go shopping for homes in the fall, you have some advantages. Buyer traffic has slowed due to the holiday season fast approaching. Sellers who've had their homes on the long hot summer market are weary of trying to sell their homes and more willing to drop prices. Your REALTOR has more time for you, and is telling you about all of the good deals.
But there's a reason you might be vulnerable to choosing a home too quickly, even though market conditions are more in your favor. You want to get into your new home before the holiday season starts. You're already under the nesting spell of grey skies, glorious turning leaves, and afternoon football games on TV. It's Thanksgiving at your house this year, everybody!

But wait. The holidays aren't a deadline. It's far better to choose a home that meets your needs no matter what time of year it is.

1. Get preapproved . Your lender will give you a price limit that you can comfortably afford based on your income and debts. These are time-tested formulas that allow some wiggle room in your finances so you won't be house-rich but cash-poor.

2. Shop for the right size, not the biggest . Buying the biggest home you can isn't the best idea. Think about the operating costs of heating, cooling and maintaining all that space. This is money wasted that could be spent on other things you may need such as a new car or furniture.

3. Think about your activities . Think about how you actually use a home. A home with a huge impressive kitchen is a poor investment if you don't cook much, except at Thanksgiving. Do you have the space you need for your home office or art studio? Are there enough bathrooms for the morning rush?

4 . Consider the commute . Newer homes offer the most amenities, but they tend to be far from city centers. How long would you spend commuting to your job every day to live in a particular community? Those are hours spent in traffic that you could be spending with loved ones.

5. Look at the bones of the home . Appliances, wall colors, and flooring can easily be updated, but the basic floorplan has to flow well for the way you live. Look at the traffic flow. Is it easy to let the dog outside and clean muddy paws when he comes back in? Where do the kids put their backpacks when they come home from school?

6. Be willing to update . Many homes are affordable because they're older and need work. Many times, cosmetic updates can turn a so-so home into a treasure. If you set aside your holiday deadline, you can start work on your new home while more contractors are available and possibly less expensive than in the busy summer months.

7. Be sure to get year-round amenities . Remember what you enjoy doing in the fall, winter, spring and summer. The home you want to buy now should make you happy for the fall, but what about warm weather? Will you be able to garden, swim, or entertain outdoors? The best time to buy a home with a pool is in the fall and winter.

When you're comparing homes think about your wish list and which home comes closest to meeting your price, number of bedrooms, condition, space, features and the amenities of the neighborhood. Once you move in, you'll know you fell for the right choice.

Written by Blanche Evans - as seen on DeLena Ciamacco’s Realty Time Newsletter.

“I proudly specialize in Residential, Commercial, Land and Investment Real Estate Sales. I service Franklin, Delaware, Licking and all surrounding counties. I am available for any and all of your Real Estate needs!” -

Please click on the link below for ‘even more’ details and market information.
http://realtytimes.com/203/DeLenaCiamacco
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Visit my website for additional information about Real Estate and our Central Ohio Market!  www.DeLena.com

Thursday, October 15, 2015

The 15 Scariest Haunted Attractions Of Central Ohio... According To DeLena Ciamacco

Google's Ghost
The
15 Scariest Haunted Attractions In Central Ohio...



 Visit my website for additional information about Real Estate and our Central Ohio Market!  www.DeLena.com

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

How to get your offers accepted to buy properties



The biggest challenge facing most real estate investors is making acceptable offers, especially when buying properties is the basic foundation of real estate investing.



Unless you buy properties, you cannot make any money.



Here is how to make offers that get accepted.



The offer you make depends on the type of property you are buying.



1) Buying from motivated sellers



If you buy houses from motivated sellers, it is necessary to have the following pieces of information:



a) Market Value



Do your due diligence to find out conservatively how much the house would be worth in perfect condition. You must have this information before you can make any offer.



b) Mortgage balance



You must get this information before you can make an offer. A seller who is not willing to disclose this information is not motivated enough. Move on to a motivated seller.



The mortgage balance must allow you to buy the house and still leave you with a profit. It must allow you to make a profit and own it free and clear.



c) Repairs needed



It is possible to estimate repair costs with the information provided by the seller.



You must know how much you need to fix up the house before you can make an offer. Of course, I like to see the house and do my own repair estimates.



d) Asking price



If the owner is asking for too much money given the above 3 pieces of information, the dealmight never happen.



A good asking price must take into account the market value, mortgage balance and repairs. You can then make an offer based on the asking price. Make an offer if the mortgage balance allows you to make a profit.



Even though it is necessary to consider the seller's needs, no offer can be too low. If they are facing foreclosure, then they probably need some money to move, or their asking price might be just enough to get away from the property.



If the mortgage balance is too high compared to the value of the house, it does not make sense to make an offer. Move on to the next deal.



There is no bad offer, except the one you have not made. Always make the offers that make sense to you. You'll be surprised how many get accepted.



2) Buying foreclosed properties



The asking price and repairs are the only important considerations to make in this case. Banks selling these properties are willing to negotiate.



Most REOs are listed below market value. Depending on your exit strategy, if the numbers are close to making sense, by all means make an offer.



Lastly, remember to make your offer lower than the asking price.



by: Simon Macharia

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6984.shtml



Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The best kind of home improvements: high-impact, low-maintenance



(BPT) - Yes, everyone knows making home improvements are a worthy investment in your greatest material asset. Sure you want every improvement job done well with top-notch end results. But when all is said and done, do you really want to have to put a lot of effort and money into maintaining those improvements? For most people - whether they'll admit it or not - the answer is "no."



The best home improvements are the ones that not only enhance your home's value and livability, but also require little work from you afterward to keep them looking great and functioning well. If you're looking for high-impact, low-maintenance home improvements, consider these popular projects:



No-leak skylights



When it comes to an improvement that brightens your home, enhances its indoor air quality and boosts energy-efficiency, skylights deliver. Unfortunately, early skylights had a reputation for being leaky - a problem that simply doesn't occur with modern, no leak, energy-efficient skylights. Pre-engineered flashing kits (the metal shield that surrounds any opening in a wall or roof) work with all types of roofs, from shingles to metal, to ensure a properly installed skylight won't leak.



Need further low-maintenance points to make the case for adding a skylight? Not only do modern skylights keep water out, they're energy efficient as well. Energy Star-qualified, no leak solar-powered fresh air skylights, like those from Velux, deliver fresh air through cost-effective passive ventilation. Adding remote-controlled, solar-powered blinds allows you to easily open or close a fresh air skylight and shade it when the sun hits that part of the roof, boosting the skylight's energy efficiency by 39 percent. Keep the shade open during cold weather to admit warmth and reduce heating costs. A 30 percent federal tax credit on both products and installation costs makes a skylight project even more appealing. Visit www.veluxusa.com for a tax calculator to show your savings for a new installation or replacement skylights and a skylight planner app to show exactly how skylights and blinds will look in any area of your home.



Lighting upgrade



Older light fixtures not only look dated, they often use outdated, inefficient bulbs and are lacking in the energy-efficient emphasis that comes with newer fixtures. Upgrading lighting throughout your home is a great way to ensure you won't have to think about it again any time soon.



If a total lighting redesign is out of the question, you can still make your existing light fixtures lower maintenance simply by swapping out old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs with newer, electricity-sipping versions. Options like CFLs and LEDs provide all the light of incandescents while using a fraction of the energy. Energy.gov says Energy Star-rated LEDs use at least 75 percent less power than incandescent bulbs, and last 25 times longer. Imagine the time, hassle and money you'll save not having to replace bulbs constantly - especially in lights that get a lot of use, like porch lights, or that are hard to reach, like the chandelier in your two-story entryway.



Vinyl siding



Wood, fiber cement, stucco, brick - there are nearly as many types of exterior siding as there are colors to paint it. When it comes to low- or no-maintenance siding, vinyl remains the gold standard. In fact, more new homes are built using vinyl siding than any other type of siding product, according to the Vinyl Siding Institute.



While early versions of vinyl siding earned criticism for being less lovely than wood, even those less sophisticated versions had staying power; it's possible to find homes in use today sporting vinyl siding that was added to the house a while back.



Vinyl siding never needs to be painted, and when properly installed provides exceptional shielding from the elements. New technology has made modern vinyl siding look better and last longer without fading issues associated with older versions of vinyl. It requires basic cleaning, and overall maintenance demands are much less than other types of siding.



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