As the new year approaches and talk of the housing market in the new year approaches, rest assured that no matter your plans or goals, the Skinner Group will be here to serve you! Check out some common housing goals or plans and how we can help you: Find a bigger home: If 2025 is the year your family needs more space, we’ve got you covered! We can help you narrow your Central Ohio real estate search based on location or housing needs, and we can also work with you on a new a build. A new build is another excellent option for those seeking more space. Move to Central Ohio: Reading this from out of town? Welcome! We’d love to serve you in your search for finding your new place to call home in Central Ohio. The region boasts numerous communities, towns, and neighborhoods all with their own benefits and unique characteristics. Contact the Skinner Group today to inquire about serving as buyer representation. Sell your current Central Ohio home: No matter the reason, if you’re looking to sell your Central Ohio home in 2025, give us a call as soon as possible. The sooner the Skinner Group can chat with you about seller representation, the better we can serve you. Downsize: Just as many families and home owners might be looking for more space, many families and home owners are now on the opposite end and looking to downsize. We know this can be a tricky and delicate process, whether navigating the emotions of selling the family home, or finding the place that’s ‘just right’ (maybe downsize means a ranch layout or a smaller yard), but we’re here to serve you and your family. Relocate around/across Central Ohio: New schools. Closer to work. Have a home with a basement. Any of those reasons and countless more have been reasons why a family might move across town or just a couple of zip codes over without a significant change in home size. You likely have a key reason to want to move, but might need some help in sorting through the details whether on the buying or selling side. No matter the reason, the Skinner Group is eager to hear from you about buyer or seller representation in 2025! Until then, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and all the best in the new year!

As we arrive at the time of year prime for holiday gatherings, if you’re also in (or will be in) the season of home buying, you may want to factor in your future holiday hosting plans. Do you always throw the best dinner parties? Or, maybe at least the best take-out pizza parties? Maybe you’d like to ease the hosting duties from an older family member once you have the space to do it? Let’s walk through some of these thoughts in a room-by-room format, just as if you were doing a real home walk-through with your experienced realtor. Having notes and preferences will later make your home buying experience smoother and give your realtor more to work with, and more options to show you. Open floor plans: Those serious about hosting family and friends, and especially larger parties, might want to zero in on homes with open floor plans allowing for guests to always feel part of the action and no one ‘cut off’ when in another room. Your buyer representing realtor can help you narrow down the search for this style of floor plan. Sometimes sellers will even mention a home is ideal for hosting. Guest bedrooms: Don’t forget to consider how often you currently host overnight guests, or how often you could host once your new home is purchased or even as other family members or close friends make their own life moves in the coming years. Seasoned realtors of your area can also keep an eye out for properties with in-law suites or other guest room features. Living/family rooms: Where does everyone end up during a holiday party other than the kitchen? The living room. If you have dreams of your big extended family one day holding their gift exchange in your living room, or having epic holiday party games with friends, make sure they can all fit! Fireplaces are also great considerations and for some could be the make-or-break feature in two otherwise similar homes. Kitchen: Serious home chefs will want to let their buyer representation realtor know that they’re looking for well-equipped and spacious kitchens, while others may want the counter space for slow cookers or pizza boxes. Whether you cook in or take-out, parties have food and if you plan on throwing many parties, you’ll want to plan ahead for how to make and arrange those meals. Outdoor space: Thinking of being the summer party house in your family or friend group? Tune your home search toward properties with ample outdoor space and even features such as spacious patios, outdoor living and cooking areas, or even a pool. An experienced realtor can also lend thoughts on how much outdoor space is needed to bring those outdoor living dreams to life if the home's backyard is a blank slate. Want a little more control in these areas of your future home? A custom new build can be a great option for having a blank slate and a little more say in the home’s features. Here at the Skinner Group, we work with numerous Central Ohio new build partners and would love to bring a new build dream to life! Whether it’s also buying season or not right now, we wish you a happy holiday season from our family to yours!