It’s what those who work in and visit the Short North have wanted: 250 public parking spaces to ease the crunch.

Columbus City Council approved a new tax-incrementfinancing agreement last night that will help pay for a new $14 million parking garage in the area. It will be built as part of a 10-story, 179-unit condominium project at the northeast corner of N. High Street and E. Hubbard Avenue. The garage will be built across Pearl Alley from the condominiums.

Town houses will be built along Hubbard to shield the garage.

A 2005 study showed a need for 500 parking spaces in the Short North, an area filled with shops, bars and restaurants.

“This is absolutely our No. 1 challenge,” said John Angelo, director of the Short North Business Association.

The developers approached the community, saying they wanted to do the project to help the community, he said.

Arms Properties plans to build the garage as part of its condominium development, which Columbus Development Director Mark Barbash said will cost $68 million and include 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

Council member Maryellen O’Shaughnessy held a hearing on valet parking last week in which people complained that valets took spaces that Short North visitors should get.

“There’s a tremendous amount of parking pressure,” O’Shaughnessy said.

Stan Sells, of the Friends of Goodale Park, said he hopes the public uses the garage. But he wonders whether they will, because it’s not as close to many Short North destinations as he thinks some visitors would like.

He wonders whether some public shuttle could be set up to ferry visitors from the garage down High Street.

The three-story garage will have two underground levels, Angelo said. Columbus Economic Development Administrator Bill Webster said there will be 500 parking spaces, with 250 reserved for the public. The other half will be for condominium residents.

Angelo said the developers have listened to concerns about the garage’s appearance, and said he thinks the town houses will help camouflage it.

The condominiums and parking garage should be finished by the end of 2008.

The city will continue to work on creating another 250 public parking spaces in the area, Webster said.

In other business, the City Council agreed to contribute $1.25 million to the Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority, which was formed last year to help finance economicdevelopment deals.

Franklin County already has agreed to contribute $1.25 million to the fund. With other money sources, the fund should grow to $10 million, which officials hope will leverage $50 million in financing.

Also, Steve Tugend, the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce vice president of governmental relations, told council that those interested in applying for jobs at the expanding Defense Financing and Accounting Service Center in Whitehall should go to the Web site www.dfascolumbusjobs.com.

You read it in the headlines.  You hear it on the news.  Forecasters say the housing market is slowing, but still there are many homeowners that either want or need to sell there home. 

With the increased inventory levels and competition between sellers there has never been such a supply of quality homes in good areas and at good prices.  Not only do sellers have to have their homes in tip top shape, they have to offer something more to the buyer to gain their interest.  It’s not uncommon to see purchase offers coming in $10K or $20K below the list price with lots of contingencies protecting the buyer, and even asking for the seller to pay for closing costs.  Two years ago a seller would have laughed at an offer like this, but today they will do what it takes to put a deal together for a ready,willing and able buyer.

Here are some tips, to help you negotiate the best possible terms and conditions:

1)Try to determine the seller’s motivation.  Many times once you look at a home you see the signs.  Homes that have been on the market for a long time and homes that are vacant will have the most motivated sellers because they have been waiting for an offer or are paying two mortgages.

2)Work with your agent in developing a negotiating strategy.  In some cases it may work to ask for a lot of conditions or any repairs up front.  In other cases you fair better by negotiating the lowest price, then after having the home inspected you ask for more.

3)Do your homework.  Have your agent provide you with comparable sales of similar homes that have recently sold.  Know the top dollar you are willing to pay before you start the negotiations, and keep in mind you most likely will have to live in a home for at least two years to recoup your purchase price.

4)Don’t be afraid to ask.  One of three things will happen when you make an offer.  The sellers will accept it, reject it, or counter with terms more acceptable to them.  Most likely, no matter how low the inital offer you will see a counter-offer.

5)Get Pre-approved.  Do this before you ever step foot in a home.  An offer from a pre-approved buyer carries a lot more weight than from a buyer who hasn’t been to the bank.  If you have a home you need to sell before you buy, get it in contract before making an offer on another home.  In doing this you should be able to negotiate a lower price.

Tony L. Aspery, Broker

BOSS Realty Group