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Getting Around Central Ohio
Sarah Hann • August 27, 2024
Your realtor can help you discover transportation options
If you’re considering a move to Central Ohio, one of the fastest growing areas in the US, you might be wondering about your transportation situation. While things could be different from what you do now, Central Ohio and Columbus have several points to highlight when it comes to getting across town and even to other parts of the country!
An experienced realtor familiar with Columbus and Central Ohio can provide the in’s and out’s of transportation options for the property you’re considering. At the Skinner Group, we also love to take your needs into account and find properties that line up with your needs.
Interstate and highway access:
Central Ohio and Columbus are served by I-70 (east-west), I-71 (north-south), I-270 (the outerbelt) and numerous other highways. Knowing which highways you’re more likely to use before beginning your Columbus real estate search can be helpful. If you have family in Cleveland, you might want easy access to I-71, while others may want the easiest route to their new Columbus-area job.
The airport:
John Glenn International Airport is growing just as the city of Columbus grows. Even Central Ohio residents outside of Columbus or even Franklin County can enjoy a short airport commute depending on location and time of day. If you’re a frequent flier with a need for a short airport commute, be sure to bring that up to your experienced realtor to best tailor your real estate search.
Multi-car garage:
Here at the Skinner Group, we’re in love with new builds lately. One benefit of a new build is having a say in the garage size. We rely heavily on cars in Central Ohio, making a connected, multi-car garage a popular feature for homes whether you’re shopping homes on the market or you’re looking into the new build option.
Walk-ability:
Relying on cars doesn’t mean we can’t walk anywhere. If you’d rather walk than drive to certain places, bring this up to your experienced Central Ohio realtor so they can zero in on potential listings that fit that bill. Here at the Skinner Group, some of our common walkable neighborhoods include the Town Center area of Grove City. Just want to get in a walk for some exercise? Even if the pharmacy is too far of a walk, Central Ohio has countless neighborhoods and parks that are perfect for your 30-minute walk. Lastly, park-and-walk for dining and shopping is popular in certain areas as you can just park once, but then enjoy everything else on foot.
It's so important to have a plan of how you’ll get around your new hometown, whether you’re commuting to work, buying groceries, or traveling outside your new city limits. An experienced realtor can help you sort through your transportation needs and narrow down ideal listings and better tailor your search for the next great place to call home!
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!
If you’re planning to, or know you’ll be selling and moving in spring/summer of 2025, some of your prep work could start now to save you stress later. As experienced realtors here at The Skinner Group, we’re all in favor of reducing stress for our clients! As 2024 winds down, what are some things you could begin working on now in advance of selling (or even buying) in 2025? Identify Fixes: Identify the places in your current home that must be addressed before placing on the market, and create a plan of action for addressing those fixes. If outside help (plumber, etc.) is required, it’s best to be in touch with those professionals early to get on their schedules and get the needed financial estimates and conversations underway. Plan Upgrades: “Fresh” is always a great selling point, so start making notes and plans for simple refreshes. Holiday breaks can make for ideal times for simple and fun upgrades… and surely your out-of-town aunt would love to give you her opinions on refreshing your kitchen as you pass the gravy on Turkey Day! All of that adds up to knowing what refreshes you’ll make and when you’ll do it. Don’t forget the outside: You wrote down the leaky faucet and better cabinet handles on your to-fix list, but don’t forget about the part of your home that others see first! Exterior improvements could be as simple as overgrown garden control, or more complex like cracked patio steps. Similar to interior fixes or improvements, create a list and a plan of action for addressing. Some of this will likely need to wait until spring, but you can still plan out how you’ll do it and even browse for the most cost-effective methods to carry out your project. Find a realtor: Here at the Skinner Group, we’d love to work with you to sell your Central Ohio home. Reach out and simply say “hello”, or we’d also love to chat about your ideal selling timeline now so that it can come to life. Reaching out to an experienced realtor early allows for everyone to have more time to achieve the common goal of buying or selling with the best outcomes possible. Research future needs: If you’re planning to sell the home your currently live in and have no next residence lined up, then you're probably going to experiencing the buyer life as well in looking for a new home. If you haven’t already, take some time to consider not just your current, but your future needs in your next home. An experienced realtor can be great to chat with and make sure you haven’t overlooked a future need. Our next blog post will actually help you consider these future needs in the context of the holidays-- so stay tuned! Just like many other things in life where success begins in the ‘off season’, so can be true for preparing to sell your home. Preparing ahead of the spring and summer real estate selling season can put you ahead, save some stress, and lead to the best outcomes. Reach out to an experienced realtor, reach out to the Skinner Group today!