August 2024

ISSUE 34

News Bites

COCLT in the Community

The COCLT will be attending the African American Male Wellness Walk on Saturday, August 10th at Livingston Park. More information on the event can be found HERE.

Save the Date! Annual Homeowner Appreciation Event

The COCLT is having its 5th Annual Homeowner Appreciation event on October 17, 2024, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. More details to come on location, great prizes, and how to R.S.V.P. Please email Program Specialist, Christina Harris with any questions.

Welcome Home

Please join COCLT in welcoming homeowners who have recently closed

on their new homes.

Fun Activities & Events

Steps to Completing a Home Improvement Project

One great benefit to being a homeowner is the option to make improvements to your home, such as, a fence, finishing a basement, and adding tile backsplash in your kitchen.

A major part of completing a home improvement project is deciding if you will complete the work yourself or hire a professional contractor. In some cases, you may need to apply for a permit. If you are hiring a professional contractor, make sure you research the company to see if they are licensed, bonded, insured, and registered as a business with the State of Ohio. You can check to see if a business is active, by reviewing their information on this website.

The next step is to make sure you know the correct materials and tools needed to complete the project. It is often recommended to have a little extra of certain materials and supplies in case you run out or have to make changes along the way. Also, having a timeline to complete your project is important.

Once your project begins, whether you or a contractor is completing the work, you want to track the daily progress to stay on task. Then, when the project is completed, you can inspect the work done to make sure it meets the agreed upon standards.

COCLT's Role

With some home improvement projects, the COCLT may need to approve the project to be sure the materials and other aspects are clear and can be recorded as an addition to your home. This can also help if you have any construction issues with adding a new fixture or structure to your home, especially if it does involve a permit. Here are some examples of when COCLT approval would be needed: finishing a basement area, adding a fence, building a deck, or adding an additional bedroom. To submit a home improvement/remodeling request you can use this LINK.

Questions about your potential home improvement and remodeling projects can be addressed to Program Specialist David Ford, who can be reached at 614.927.8517 or david.ford@cocic.org.

Homeowner Tips

Decluttering

As the end of the summer starts to wind down this might be the best time to declutter your home. Unwanted items including clothing, paper work, and other 'stuff' may have started to pile up during the last few months. Here are some tips to spruce up and declutter your home.

Take Inventory of Unwanted Items

Check in each room of your home and determine which items or clothing you no longer use or need. Place them in a tote and decide if you want to donate the items or offer them to a family member or friend.

Utilize your neighborhood bulk trash pick up for items that have become damaged or too large to be disposed of in another way.

Take some time to declutter your digital life as well. Sort through your emails, delete unnecessary files, and organize your computer desktop. Consider using cloud storage or external hard drives to free up space on your devices.

Social Media & You

We have all done it. Typed our name into the Google search bar to see what comes up. By occasionally searching your own name, you can look for privacy breaches and take steps to eliminate them.

In today's digital age, our personal information is constantly at risk of being exposed online. Whether it's through social media, online shopping, or other digital activities, our personal details are vulnerable to being accessed by unauthorized individuals.

In order to safeguard our privacy and security, it's crucial to take proactive measures to remove personal information from the internet.

When it comes to social media, it's essential to review and update privacy settings to limit the visibility of personal information. This includes adjusting who can view our profile, posts, and contact details.

Additionally, we should be cautious about the type of information we share online, refraining from posting sensitive details such as our home address, financial information, or travel plans.

Grow Your Money

Growing your savings is a great way to build a nice financial nest egg for you and your family. One great way to grow your money is to open a high yield savings account. Many of the accounts can be set up directly online or through your existing bank. Here are some tips on how to start the process with a high yield savings account.

Check out this website for a list of high yield savings accounts.

One of the most compelling features of high yield savings accounts is their competitive interest rates. Unlike traditional savings accounts that offer nominal interest, high yield savings accounts provide significantly higher returns on deposited funds.

The money you keep in a high yield savings account can grow at a faster rate, allowing you to reach your savings goals more quickly.

High yield savings accounts are also an effective tool for reaching short-term financial goals. s

Ohio Sales Tax Free Weekend

Ohio's annual sales tax free weekend takes place Tuesday July 30 - Thursday August 8. This is a great chance to save money on items, such as, clothing, diapers, shoes, and much more. Find more information and the list of eligible items HERE.

Franklin County Property Tax Increases

The Franklin County Auditor completed a property value assessment on all homes in the county in December 2023. COCLT homeowners have been impacted depending on when you purchased your home. The data to the right are examples of the property changes in the last few years. To learn more about the property value of your land you can go to this website to search your property address. You can find the Value History on the left hand column of your property information.

You can also check out our August 2023 newsletter that discusses the property valuation topic in the featured story.