New Video Highlights Downtown Cleveland

To learn more about downtown living, email Scott.Phillips@realliving.com or call us at 216.986.7716.

Cleveland Leads the Housing Rebound

By Brian Louis and Kathleen M. Howley

Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The good news in the worst housing slump since the Great Depression is that the market in Cleveland is recovering.

The Cleveland area led the nation for home price gains in April and May with an 18 percent jump in the lowest price tier of the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index after values fell to levels last seen in 2000. The median home price was $117,500 in the second quarter, 15 percent higher than the prior three months, the National Association of Realtors said in a report today.

A housing revival in this city of 438,000 on the shore of Lake Erie may portend deeper drops in U.S. markets. Prices for entry level homes in Cleveland had to tumble 37 percent from a September 2005 peak to an almost 11-year low in March before enticing first- time buyers. That may be a sign that U.S. markets with the biggest price increases during the 2000 to 2005 boom have much further to fall before stabilizing, said David Blitzer, chairman of Standard & Poor's Index Committee.

``The areas of the country that saw prices go through the roof and then fall into the basement won't be the first ones to see an upturn,'' Blitzer said in an interview. ``It's more likely to come in a place like Cleveland or other Midwestern cities that largely missed the boom.''

Cleveland never experienced the big home-price gains of its coastal counterparts such as New York or San Francisco. Gains were more modest as Cleveland, like other cities in the Midwest, saw jobs in steel, automotive and manufacturing shipped overseas.

Foreclosure Crisis

Prices in the Cleveland area rose an average of 3 percent a year from 2000 to 2005, according to S&P/Case-Shiller data. Prices in the metropolitan New York and Los Angeles areas gained 15 percent and 23 percent, respectively, in that period.

Now that Cleveland is starting to recover, it may be leading other areas of the country on their way to finding a housing bottom, said Robin Dubin, an economics professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

``Cleveland was hit first with the foreclosure crisis,'' Dubin said. ``Other communities are just behind Cleveland and they will start to come out of it pretty soon.''

The May S&P/Case-Shiller index put Cleveland's highest priced homes, properties that sold for more than $182,000, back to 2003 prices, and the overall market back to 2002 levels.

Presently, there are 1,982 pending real estate sales in Cuyahoga County. The tide has turned, friends! Contact us to start your home search using MyRealLiving 2.0 today!

Our Memory of Stephanie Tubbs-Jones

This week Cleveland lost one our most inspiring and loving leaders- Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. Her political affiliation, relationships with presidential candidates, and stances on issues have nothing to do with the following post. In fact, those things had little to do with the value she brought to our communities.

Stephanie was an inspiring role model. Growing up in the eastern neighborhoods of Cleveland can be difficult. Just ask Troy Smith, who emerged from the Glenville neighborhood. Sometimes the most visible influences in the lives of our youth are drug dealers on street corners. Congresswoman Tubbs-Jones was an inspiration to our young children. She was a symbol of what hard work, perseverence and dedication could look like. She loved her community as it was, but always encouraged the generations below her to strive for more and stay away from the troubled paths.

I'll never forget the first time I spent with her. The setting was Troy Smith's Heisman Homecoming Celebration at Glenville High School. Stephanie spoke to a crowd of hundreds of children about the inspiration that Troy was to the community. She spoke of hard work, reaching for your dreams, avoiding short-cuts, and staying away from gangs. What impressed me so much was her ability to do all this without coming off condescending! She knew what these children were faced with and was able to address them as a member of their family and not a lector or random motivational speaker.

Stephanie was sincere. She loved her constituents, our city, our region, and especially downtown Cleveland. She had many conversations with me about the future of our region and how Downtown Cleveland was the hub that had to hold all our neighborhoods and suburbs together. She even hosted Cleveland City Living and its advisors at her office to discuss how her economic development team could help support our missions of promoting residential living in downtown Cleveland.

Cleveland has a tremendous void to fill right now. No one can ever truly replace Stephanie. My call to everyone is to do what Stephanie would want us to do in our city. Love the city. Respect your neighbors. Volunteer in the lives of children, especially those who need additional parental guidance and education. Most of all, live life with the enthusiasm that radiated from her no matter where she was. Stephanie always made sure that people felt her message of love. Thank you, Stephanie, for your time with us on Earth. We know you're smiling on us always.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity! Now Hiring.

There's still time to become a Founding Member of the new Cleveland office of Real Living Realty One, Inc.

Have you dreamed of starting your own real estate office? Do you wish your company offered you a vibrant, exciting environment that made the work day fun and entertaining? Are you an entrepreneur looking for a career that offers the opportunity and education for long-term success and wealth? You've found it. Welcome to the Cleveland Office of Real Living Realty One, Inc.

Real Living Realty One, Inc. has been a part of Cleveland since it's founding as "Hilltop Realty" in 1953 by Vincent Aveni. For the past 55 years, our company has lived by three principles: FAMILY, INNOVATION, & RESULTS. These principles are the foundation that has grown us into a company of more than 4000 sales associates and 160 offices! Your opportunity with the Downtown Cleveland Center begins with these same principles.

FAMILY- Our company works as a family. As a founding member of our Cleveland Office, you will have the unique opportunity to share in developing the vision. As a family, we will create the policies, procedures, and standards that will last through the next generations of our industry.

INNOVATION- Real Living Realty One, Inc. already leads the way with real estate technology. Programs such as MyRealLiving 2.0 are innovative internet tools that help us retain buyers and communicate with sellers the way most people do in today's market- electronically. No other company can offer our present innovative foundation to you as an agent. We will not rest on our laurels, however. We continue to strive daily to increase our presence in today's cyber markets.

RESULTS- No company could succeed in any industry for 55 years unless it has a proven history of results. Real Living Realty One, Inc. has done more real estate transactions than any other company in Ohio since 1980 and looks to continue that trend as we continue to make advancements into the new age of real estate.

As a member of the RL-R1 family, you will receive unparalleled support stretching far above industry standards including:

• Location- Over 140,000 people work in the walkable neighborhood of Downtown Cleveland. WE are the only residential real estate firm headquartered within this perimeter. Our new Cleveland Office fills up the top floor of the 800 West St. Clair Building above the Cleveland Chop House Restaurant in the Historic Warehouse District.
• Our Website- Our website consistently raises the bar as the most user friendly and feature-rich page in the nation. It constantly rises to the top of search engine pages as well.
• Your Personal Website- At RL-R1, we offer you a personal website, customizable with dozens of templates making your clients and prospects see the true professional in you. We help you ensure your website puts your best foot forward.
• Listing Enhancements- Virtual Tours, Blogs, Community Tours, and room for dozens of hi-res photos ensures that your seller's needs will be reached through effective, thorough marketing.
• E-Newsletters- Our agents love sending E-Newsletters, E-Cards, and E-Notifications for their newest listings, sales, and career milestones. As a member of our family you will be able to send frequent communications via email to your clients for free through the Real Living online agent center.
• Traditional Marketing- We offer you our brand, which is recognizable on yard signs to your future buyers. We offer you discounts in the Plain Dealer and other print mediums that other companies can't rival. We also founded the free "Hotline" program allowing buyers to call a toll-free number and listen to a recording about the home they're standing in front of that you're trying to sell! We even offer discounts training on how to perform an "open house" properly. Our commitment to technology has not disregarded the traditional tools of the past century.
• Real Living Magazine- A full color, monthly magazine distributed at grocery stores, drug stores, and various other locations across the region. Homes are sorted by city in alphabetical order, then by price (unlike other publications which sort by selling office.) Our magazine is convenient for your buyers and widely read.
• Official Sponsor of the Cleveland Cavs- Ever been to a Cavs game and looked at the Jumbo-tron at center court? The Real Living Realty One brand and website float virtually during all Cavs home games exposing us to over 20,000 people per event!
• Mobile Real Estate -Work from home- At RL-R1, we understand that you can't always make prospecting calls from the office, or work the standard 8-5 schedule. We've created an expansive internet portal (the Agent Business Center) that allows our agents to work from home without losing the capabilities they'd have in the office. Online forms, client database storage, and marketing statistics are constantly available to you 24/7 from any computer.
• No Monthly Fees- If we commit to hiring you, we are taking responsibility for providing you the tools necessary to succeed. Commission splits cover the various expenses we incur on your behalf.
• EDUCATION- Although our industry has been around for 200 years, real estate is constantly evolving. To help you stay ahead of the curve, we offer free year-round education to every member of our RL-R1 family. What's better? The central education center for our company is located IN OUR OFFICE- Real Living University (Real U.)

WOW!

An industry that's been around for 200 years. The opportunity to earn an income far exceeding a standard salary job. A company that's been supporting successful agents in Ohio for over 50 years. The opportunity to add: "Founded a successful real estate office in Downtown Cleveland" to my resume'. This truly is a once in a lifetime 0pportunity!

Let's face it, there's only so much you can learn from an internet article. So here's what we'll propose: email us and come on in for a cup of coffee to tour our headquarters and ask some questions. You just may find that this is exactly what you've been waiting for.

Call us at 216.986.7716 or email our expansion team today!

Real Living Realty One, Inc. is not responsible for the contents of this article. All articles on this page are always fully developed by Cleveland City Living.

The Feast in Little Italy

It's time for tens of thousands of Clevelander's to roam the brick roads of Little Italy. It's time for young men to smoke cigars, wear Italian golf shirts, and talk with their hands. It's time for 80 year old grandmothers and grandfathers to join together and drink some chianti while listening to Old Blue Eyes. It's time for the Feast in Little Italy!

I seldom use my website to make a personal reflection, but this is a unique opportunity for me to share with you, my thousands of loyal readers, an interpretation of one of Cleveland's biggest ethnic weekends- The Feast.

Little Italy, to so many, is perceived as a dining destination, a cigar smoker's haven, or even a place to take a romantic walk down century old brick roads. Yes, it's all of that (and more), but Little Italy has a true foundation often overlooked- Family.

Something people may not realize is that the same families have been operating out of those neighborhoods for as many as 90 years! Let's take a step back and think about that. One of the books I read in college about the hospitality industry expressed that a successful business plan for a restaurant is to sell out in seven to eleven years. So how on Earth do restaurants like Mama Santa's, Baricelli Inn, and my family restaurant, Guarinos, last that long?? I can answer for one of them- Family.

I don't know a whole lot about what happend from 1918 to 1996 at Guarino's Restaurant in Little Italy. What I do know is that Vincenzo Guarino lived above his restaurant (much like my grandmother, Nancy, does today) and operated his business as though it was his own kitchen table and wet bar. It began as a speak-easy during prohibition and gradually evolved into a Cleveland icon seating as many as 200 people during summer (with the expansive 125 seat garden patio.)

Guarino's was passed through generations of family, and while I vaguely remember my Uncle Sam Guarino, I know he'd be proud of my grandmother for keeping the place alive into its 90th year. She is now 73 years old and still unlocks the doors each day for business among her many responsibilities.

Guarino's, much like many restaurants in the neighborhood, is all about family. At any given moment, you'll have Nancy's children, grandchildren, and dearest friends working the floor and in the kitchen. I put in ten years at Guarino's, beginning as a cook at age 13, and I can assure you that even if you're not related to Nancy by blood, you become related to her through business. She, like many of the owners in the neighborhood, can unconventionally manage her business by firing you in the middle of the dinner hour, and then giving you a hug and kiss as you come back to work the next day apologizing- just like family. This, perhaps, is one of the secrets to longevity in the industry. Some of her employees have been there as many as forty (40) years.

Tens of thousands of people will come to the Feast this year. They will celebrate 100 years of Holy Rosary Church, 90 years of Cleveland's oldest restaurant- Guarino's, and of course the Catholic holiday that brings so many together this morning. When you're roaming the streets looking for cavatelli pesto, come on over to Guarino's, say hello to my family, and give Nancy a hug to honor her work that has kept Cleveland's Oldest Restaurant in business for 90 consecutive years. And for all you paisan reading this: Cent' anni!

written by: Scott Phillips Jr. - photos by: Doug Nagy

Bob Golic's Sports Bar to Open in the Warehouse District

Start growing out your mullets! Browns legend and "Saved by the Bell" resident advisor, Bob Golic is opening a sports bar in the Warehouse District. The former home of Synergy has been vacant for several months on the corner of West 6th and Lakeside Avenue. This location has had a history of failures including Flo prior to Synergy in the past 2-3 years.

Golic's vision, however, is better planned than his predecessors. For years, Warehouse District residents have longed for an authentic sports bar on West 6th Street, and now they'll get their wish. For upcoming details on Bob Golic's newest business venture, visit his website at http://www.bobgolic.com/.

Gateway Church to Open Downtown Cafe

Can a Downtown Christian Church really run a business? When you consider all the people and parts that make up the congregation, the answer looks to be "Absolutely!" Information is beginning to pour in about this future addition to Downtown Cleveland. No matter what your faith is, this is defintely a project worth supporting.

"Nexus" which means "a place of connection," is the vision of the Gateway Church lead by Pastor Alex Ennes. The video for the project is on YouTube here: NEXUS. The plans highlight a grand opening at the 515 Euclid Avenue Building, but the actual site remains to be finalized.

So what is this Gateway Church? Besides being a Christian church giving weekly services in downtown Cleveland (at Pickwick and Frolic), Gateway is a service based organization that supports our downtown. If you stroll down West 9th St. and see flowers that look brand new, trees planted where they never used to be, and hedges pruned where there used to be overgrowth, there's a good chance Gateway was behind it. The members of Gateway Church support the motto: Love :: Live :: Serve.

Live, refers to living in community- in this case Cleveland. Serve, refers to serving the city. Pastor Alex told me a while back that he believes people are better supported by each other and serve more freely when they live in highly concentrated communities. Our Downtown needed just that!

In just over a year, Gateway Church has become a staple in our downtown community. The concept for Nexus, while risky, is already supported by over $50,000 of capital, and this is just the early planning stages. If you'd like to help with Nexus, or if you're interested in the church itself, visit http://www.gatewaycleveland.com/ and fill out a contact form.