There are many reasons to be optimistic.

Look around. The central Ohio real estate market remains active. We are starting to see signs of a stronger market, with "SOLD" signs replacing "FOR  SALE" signs in every community. Ask a builder or REALTOR^® you know, and they will tell you that rates are staying down, buyers are continuing to value homeownership, and the central Ohio housing market is staying healthy.

Columbus is one of the top 10 cities for finding a job, according to U.S. News and World Report. "It wasn't easy to pinpoint the Best Places to Find a Job for 2009, as absolutely no American city was immune to the economic downturn." However, 10 cities did stand out ... and Columbus was among them!

Spike in home sales points to strong finish for 2009:  It has been three years since central Ohio posted such strong September numbers for home sales. According to the Columbus Board of REALTORS® (CBR), the 2,012 closings recorded last month were 10.3% higher than one year ago.

"In order to get our market back in balance, the number of sales must increase at the same time the number of homes on the market decreases," said CBR President  Gary Parsons. "That is exactly what is happening now, which means that we're seeing a healthier real estate market and appreciating sale prices again."

Columbus Ranks #10 as Top City for "the Next Generation Workforce" ... right behind New York City. According to Next Generation Consulting, "It used to be that cities with jobs attracted and kept their workforce. That might have worked for your dad, but it’s not going to work for your kids.Today, young up-and-comers pick their cities - those with the amenities and “vibe” they value - and then look for jobs."

Next Gen surveyed 39,000 peopl between the ages of 20 and 40 to learn more about why they live and work where they do and learned that top cities have seven attributes in common: Vitality, Earning, Learning, Social Capital, Cost of Living, After Hours, and Around Town.

A Great Business Environment:  Ohio has climbed into the top 10 of an annual ranking of states with tax climates friendly to small companies and entrepreneurs. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council in its Business Tax Index 2009 ranked Ohio 10th based on 16 various tax measures including personal income tax rate, capital gains tax rate, sales, unemployment, gasoline and property taxes.

Columbus was ranked the nation's 6th most stable market by Standard & Poor's. According to this report, our market has less than a 10% chance of experiencing falling home prices.

A Family-Friendly City! Columbus was named America's Best Place to Raise Kids in 2009 by Business Week. The  study was based on school performance; number of schools; household expenditures; crime rates; air quality; job growth; family income; museums, parks, theaters, and other amenities; and diversity.

Unlike the erratic home prices in California that have more than tripled since 1995, prices in central Ohio have been solid and stable. Therefore, we did not experience the same dramatic decline as cities like San Diego when people began to see that prices were out of line with the economy.

Because our housing market is "sure and steady," we may be the first region of the United States to see a significant boost in appreciation, according to the Chief Economist of the National Association of REALTORS^®.

We hear encouraging news every day about central Ohio's economy. In early March Forbes.com, named Columbus the "#1 Up-and-Coming Tech City."

Ohio again topped a national magazine's ranking of business expansion states outpacing runners up Texas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Site Selection Magazine presented Gov. Ted Strickland with the 2008 Governor's Cup award during a press conference in Columbus on Monday. It's the third consecutive year Ohio has received the honors and the seventh time since 1993. The magazine tracks the number of new or expanded corporate facilities announced during the year, then ranks states and cities based on the results.

Ohio outpaced Texas for this year's top spot, with 503 expansion projects, up from 399 a year earlier. Texas was No. 2 with 497. Michigan and Pennsylvania were third and fourth, with 296 and 290, respectively.