Ohio’s home sale market is off to a fast start in 2012…with activity levels in January posting a gain of nearly 13 percent compared to a year ago.

The January results mark the seventh consecutive monthly sales gain, dating back to July 2011.

On top of the positive sales numbers — Ohio’s REALTORS are the most optimistic they’ve been since mid-2011 according to findings from the OAR Housing Market Confidence Index, a newly created measurement of the perception Ohio’s REALTORS have of the marketplace.

According to February Confidence Index:

• 66 percent of Ohio REALTORS describe the current housing market as moderate to strong.
• 80 percent have moderate to strong expectations for their market in the next 6 months.
• 77 percent of REALTORS believe home prices over the next year will remain stable and could even post gains.

A post at Calculated Risk — a leading economic blog — hints that the National Association of REALTORS will be reporting positive news in tomorrow’s January home sales report.

Its take:

The site references likely strong numbers from Midwest markets as the reason for the upgraded expectations.

Our Ohio numbers will be released statewide at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Without giving away too much…Ohio may be a key factor in the revised numbers.  Stay tuned!

A Toledo broker recently contacted us about a troubling situation that occurred three times last week. Specifically, the broker’s listing information was hijacked from the company’s website and placed on Craigslist as a rental property.

This is the latest incident in a similar scam that was rampant as far back as 2009. At the time, the FBI issued warnings about Nigerian con artists targeting renters in America to collect rental deposits on homes they didn’t own.

No word on whether the latest events in Toledo are related to this type of scam, but three incidents in a week should – at a minimum – raise an antenna or two.

If you discover that your listings are being fraudulently used, make sure you contact Craigslist or the site’s operator and report the scam.

By Carl Horst

Somehow…someway… you found the Ohio Association of REALTORS new communications venture — the OAR Daily Buzz.

Perhaps you followed a link on our website or maybe a Google search landed you here. Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t really matter to us. We’re thrilled you’re here, as this blog was developed with you in mind!

This blog is intended to transform how your Association communicates with you. It’s the centerpiece of our new communications programming and will serve as a gathering spot for news, views and issues concerning the industry.

In a nutshell, the Daily Buzz will attempt to spotlight key issues of the day — whether its a legal decision, action by our elected leaders, economic news or even professional trends that affect the real estate practitioner.

We hope you find the Daily Buzz to your liking and perhaps even discover a nugget of information that will help you in your day-to-day real estate practice.

You might even want to take “staying in the know” a step further by following us on Twitter — @OhioRealtors. Followers will receive an alert when we post something new on the Buzz, receive reminders of pending deadlines for business meetings, sales contests and more.

The Daily Buzz is just one piece of our new communications approach. We’ve redone our website to make it easier to access the information you’re seeking, whether it’s a legal white paper or a legislative update. We’ve completely redesigned our Ohio REALTOR publication, transforming it from a newspaper to a magazine format that will be mailed to every member twice a year. The premier issue of the new Ohio REALTOR will be landing in your mailbox by the end of February.

We are hopeful that you find our new approach beneficial and urge you to become part of the discussion by making comments and offering your insights.

Once again…welcome!

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