Real Estate Information

Once an active branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Kokosing Gap Trail offers Knox county residents a relaxing and very scenic means of exercise and recreation. Opened in 1991, the Trail is a 10-foot wide paved path that stretches 13.5 miles from Mount Vernon to Danville. Along its course, the Trail follows Knox County’s scenic Kokosing River and surrounding countryside. Forested hills, wetlands, family farms, and the river itself offer pleasant scenery, and many opportunities for memorable photos. Beginning in Mount Vernon’s Phillips Park, the trail runs east to historic Gambier, the home of nationally respected Kenyon College. Here, one can stop for a rest at one of the Trail’s restroom facilities and take photos with one of the Trail’s travelers from the past: and old steam engine, coal car, flatbed and caboose; a standing reminder of the legacy of America’s once great railroad system.

From Gambier, the trail continues northeast towards Howard, where the beautiful Apple Valley Lake and resort are located. Here, Trail goers will pass underneath Route 36 through a stone-arched tunnel, and then continue on towards Danville. It is in Danville where the 13.5-mile Kokosing Gap Trail ends, but if one wishes to travel further, the Mohican Valley Trail, which opened to the public in 1999, begins only a few blocks from where the Kokosing Trail ends.

Many people use the Kokosing Gap Trail. Its close proximity to Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Kenyon College in Gambier makes it an excellent place for college students to get away from the stress of campus life and prevent the infamous Freshman 15. It is a great way for families to spend peaceful, quality time together, and instill in young children good exercise habits and a respect and love of nature. The Trail is an excellent way for anyone, of any age, to get the exercise needed to live a healthy, happy life.

The Trail is also a great place for nature lovers. In addition to the common squirrel, chipmunk, and deer, the Kokosing Gap Trail is also a great place for bird watchers. One of the most inspiring sights at the Trail is the rare spotting of the American Bald Eagle. At least one mating pair is reported to soar the skies along the Kokosing River, making the Trail one of the best places to try and spot this majestic, once endangered, bird of prey. With the 4^th of July fast approaching, the spotting of the American Bald Eagle within Knox County could be one of the most memorable sights of the summer.

Parking for the Kokosing Gap Trail can be found in Mount Vernon, Gambier, Howard, and Danville. The trail features several river crossings on wooden-decked steel bridges, a few of which include observation decks where people can rest and take in the scenery or take a few photos. Recently, there has been some talk on extending the Trail to also run north to Fredericktown, Ohio. The Kokosing Gap Trail is a beautiful, relaxing stretch of path, which is enjoyable to people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether biking, walking, running or skating, the Trail is an excellent venue for exercise and shows off the beauty and rich history of Knox County.

You are welcome to attend the model home open house event on July 7^th and 8^th (Saturday & Sunday) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m..  Visitors and prospective home buyers will have an opportunity to view the new clubhouse that includes a fitness center and swimming pool.  During the event we will have 3 different model homes available including the Canterbury, the Windsor and the Chateau designs.  If you haven’t visited this tree surrounded condo community this is your chance to stop in and take a closer look. 

This is an EPCON community by Stoneworks Development and represented by Sam Miller of RE/MAX Stars Realty.  For more details visit http://www.sammiller.com/newcondos.htm. 

The Village of Colonial Woods is located at 11889 Upper Gilchrist Road, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050. 

Directions:  Take Coshocton road east just past the Knox Community Hospital and turn left at the Mount Vernon Radio Station and Knox County Health Department follow 3/8ths of a mile and the development is on the left.

Apple Valley Ohio residents will celebrate Independence Day on Saturday July 7^th.  The fireworks display will be set off near the Apple Valley Clubhouse towards the Apple Valley Lake.  If you have never experienced the fireworks being set off over the lake it is absolutely gorgeous.  Many property owners will actually view the fireworks from their boats while on the lake.  During this weekend there will be opportunities to view, tour and purchase Apple Valley lakefront homes and Apple Valley lakeview homes.  For more information and to preselect homes you would like to see during this weekend visit http://www.sammiller.com/avplist.htm.

More than 27 million Americans have experienced identity theft and that number is increasing daily.  Identity theft and indentity fraud is a problem and it has created challenges for people all over Knox County regardless where we live or what we do for a living.  Each year hundreds of home buyers have me help them get preapproved for mortgage financing and in dozens of cases each year we find incorrect items show up on home buyers credit reports that.  In many cases we can resolve these items quickly but there are cases where these incorrectly reported credit challenges actually prevent a buyer from buying their dream home for months and in often times years.  In most cases these problems can be avoided and there are safety steps you can take that will help protect you and your family.  Here are some tips that will help protect Apple Valley property owners:

Report late or stolen checks immediately.  Your bank can block payment on them if they are  notified in advance.

Notify your banker of suspicious phone inquires or e-mails relating to your accounts.

Closely guard your ATM card and personal identification number and ATM receipts.

Shred any financing solicitations and bank statements before placing them into the trash.

Put outgoing mail into a secure, official postal service collection box.

If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company immediately to find out why.

If your bills include questionable items, don't ignore them.  Instead, investigate immediately to head off any possible fraud.

At least once a year you should contact a major credit reporting company to review your credit report and make certain the information is correct. 

Credit Reporting Bureaus:

Equifax (www.equifax.com)    Order a credit report at 1-800-685-1111

Experian (www.experian.com)  Order a credit report at 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion (www.transunion.com)  Order a credit report at 1-800-888-4213.

Feel free to contact The Sam Miller Team at (740) 397-7800 or 1-800-282-9096.  We can save you time, money and we have systems and programs that help eliminate the frustration commonly associated with buying a home.

Sincerely,

Sam Miller

I am in the process of building a really nice video featuring Apple Valley and I need your help.  I am looking for any photo or video you have of Apple Valley that I can use in my online video.  If you have any photos, video recordings of boating, jet skiing, water skiing, fishing, swimming or just having fun around Apple Valley I would love to use them with your permission. The finished project will be featured on AppleValleyOhio.com and also on KnoxCountyOhio.com. 

If you are interested in sharing your Apple Valley photos or videos please e-mail your photos to Sam@sammiller.com or you can mail your photos of video tapes, video CD or DVD's to:

Sam Miller, 710 South Main Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050.

Thanks for your continued support and I look forward to making this presentation video something that you will be proud of and something you, your family and friends will enjoy.

Sincerely,

Sam Miller

It is getting near the time of the year when Apple Valley will begin raising the water level by closing the valve on the dam.  The planned date to close the dam is February 15th but this date is subject to change if the lake is still frozen at this time.  We are often asked how long it takes for the lake to be entirely full and the answer is that it depends on the amount of snow that is on the ground when they close the dam and also the amount of rain we get in the spring.  I love this time of year because once they start raising the water level I get the itch to do some boating...  Spring is just around the corner.

Apple Valley Property Owners...I have great news for you.  The annual property assessment per lot will only cost you $177 for the entire year.  The AVPOA assessment  is for April 1st, 2007 through March 31st, 2008.  I am impressed with how Apple Valley has been able to keep this cost so low.  If you are currently using a 2006 photo ID card remember that your card will expire  on April 1st, 2007.  If you don't get your invoice for your Apple Valley annual dues you should contact the Apple Valley Property Owners Office by calling (740) 397-3311.

The Apple Valley Lake located in Howard Ohio offers so many amenities such as boating, fishing, swimming, jet skiing, wake boarding, golfing 3 beaches, club houses and many other fun activities.  There are Apple Valley lakefront homes, Apple Valley lakeview homes, homes that are located on the Apple Valley golf course and others that have a view of the golf course and there are Apple Valley cabins and retirement style homes.  The bottom line is that there is something for everyone in Apple Valley.

As a REALTOR selling homes and building lots in Apple Valley for more than 20 years I am often asked about which school district services Apple Valley.  The answer that surprises everyone is that Apple Valley is serviced by two entirely different school districts depending on where your home is located.  The majority of Apple Valley is located in East Knox School District but many are not aware that the North side of Apple Valley is located in Brown Township and this area of Apple Valley is located in the Mount Vernon School District. 

If you have ever considered living in Apple Valley but didn't buy at the lake because you wanted to keep your children in Mount Vernon Schools you will be happy to know that you do have more options than you were probably unaware of.  The Apple Valley lake community is a great place to live.

I want to begin with what I call the state of the market for the Apple Valley Lake Community.  The real estate market has been active with strong buying and selling activity already taking place early in the year.  This activity is impressive considering Apple Valley is known to be a seasonal market which is generally a bit slower during the winter months.  We have been very fortunate that the weather here in Apple Valley has been very mild even in January of this year.  The real cold just settled in in February but it hasn't discouraged Apple Valley home and Apple Valley lot buyers.  The current market trends for Apple Valley look very positive for 2007. 

The following statistics are for home and lot sales for January 2007 in Apple Valley:

There were 8 Apple Valley homes that sold in January with an average sales price of $137,466.  There were also 6 Apple Valley lots that sold during the same period. 

Currently there are 101 homes for sale in Apple Valley throughout the community.  Of those 101 homes there are 14 waterfront homes for sale with the lowest asking price of $374,900 and the highest listing price of $695,000.  The average listing price for a waterfront home in Apple Valley is currently $465,506.  There are 10 Apple Valley lakeview homes for sale with an average listing price of $173,995. 

As of today there are 168 Apple Valley lots that are for sale within the lake resort.  Of those 168 lots only 10 of those are waterfront properties.  The average waterfront lot in Apple Valley is listed for $179,860 and the highest priced waterfront lot in Apple Valley is listed for $289,900.  There are currently 6 lakeview lots for sale with an average listing price of $32,883.

In January 20 homes were listed for sale in Apple Valley and some of those 20 homes only 2 of them were new construction.  The new home market in Apple Valley currently makes up less than 13% of the total number of homes for sale.  Watch for an even stronger Apple Valley housing market in the months to come.