First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009 Update
July 9th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Financial, First Time Home Buyers, Home Buyers
Still Sitting On The Fence With Your Home Ownership Dreams?
If you’ve been puzzled and sitting on the fence when it comes to your home ownership dreams 
all I can say is ouch! Now is the time to get off of the fence and take advantage of this opportunity for your potential First Time Home Buyers $8,000 Tax Credit*.
We all crave our own space, good neighbors to share a back yard barbecue with, a place for the kids, some flowers and a few tomato plants. Many of my first time home buyers can’t wait to say goodbye to “broker beige” and decorate in their favorite colors to express their personal style.
Check out my 7 Point First Time Home Buyers Quick Summary and let me know what you think? You might be looking forward to investing instead of throwing money away on rent. Our homes were never meant to be banks, but even with our current challenges in the financial and housing market, home ownership has Read the rest of this entry »
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Tredyffrin Homes For Sale May 2009 Market Snapshot
June 30th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Financial, Market Trends
Tredyffrin Township, Chester County Pa Real Estate Market Snapshot May 2009
Real Estate Market Snapshot Table For Tredyffrin Township comparing the
Number of Homes For Sale in Tredyffrin, Homes Under Contract, Homes Sold, New Listings that came on the market, the Residual Inventory (homes already in the market place or “backlog”), the Median For Sale Price for Tredyffrin and the Median Under Contract and Median Sold Price for Tredyffrin Township for this three year period beginning in May 2007.
The Tredyffrin Real Estate activity chart I prepared below may help you see the Read the rest of this entry »
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New Appraisal Guidelines The Baby and The Bath Water
April 28th, 2009 categories: A Realtors Life, Financial, Home Buyers, Home Sellers
The Real Estate Blame Game Moves On To Appraisers
The Real Estate “Blame Game” has become our current national sport. So far, we’ve raked the Buyers, the Realtors and the Brokers and the Mortgage Companies over the coals. This week we’re moving on to the Appraisers and legislating the free flow of information.
As of May 1, 2009 there will be new property Appraisal guidelines but not 
everyone agrees that we need new Appraisal guidelines as reported in the Wall Street Journal yesterday.
If it’s not the Realtors and the Broker’s fault for pricing and marketing real estate for what it would sell for, then maybe it’s the Appraisers “fault” for appraising the property according to the then existing market activity of what buyers were willing clamoring to pay for property.
Of course there is a need for some Mortgage and Lending reform and the National Association of Realtors supports the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009, H.R. 1728. You can read NAR President Charles McMillan’s testimony in support of Lending reforms with modification.
Under the new guidelines, Appraisers will no longer call me about one of my sold and settled listings to help them compare the features and benefits to one of their current “subject” properties. I will no longer be able to meet an Appraiser at my Sellers property to share the comparable sold’s that I used to price the property. The Mortgage Company will not be able to call the Appraiser for any reason, much less, to ask for a “rush” for a special relocating family trying to get their children into school before the start of the school year. Read the rest of this entry »
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Chester County Pa Tredyffrin Market Report March 2009
April 17th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Financial, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Market Trends
Tredyffrin Chester County Pa Real Estate First Quarter 2009 Real Estate Market Report
Our First Quarter Real Estate Market Report for Tredyffrin Township shows that the
Median For Sale Prices dropped 2% from $479,900 in March of 2007 to $469,900 in March of 2009
The Median Under Contract Price dropped 8% from $458,000 in March of 2007 to $420,000 in March of 2009.
The Median Sold Price for Tredyffrin Township for this time period dropped 18.8% from $400,000 in March of 2007 to $325,000 at the end of the First Quarter March 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
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Chester County Main Line Home Buyers, Sellers Disconnect Financing The Fantasy
April 7th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Financial, First Time Home Buyers, Home Buyers
Home Ownership Dreams Fail To Pricing Fantasy
I spend my days and sometimes nights helping home buyers and home sellers with the 
purchase and sale of real estate. Even though we try to make it as easy and fun as possible, it’s work for everyone, the Buyers, their Buyer Agents, Sellers and the Listing Agent. I often remind my Seller clients that every offer to purchase is a compliment paid to the home Seller by the Buyers. Of all the homes on the market, the buyer chose yours!
Are Sellers Unrealistic Prices Making It Harder For Buyers to Buy?
Yes, in my experience and the experience of my Buyers, unrealistic prices are making it harder for buyers to buy.
Today’s Better Educated Home Buyers
The Consumers Guide To The Agreement of Sale that I provide free as a service to all of my Buyer Agent Clients, is a 35 page guide that gives a thorough review of each of the Agreement of Sale Clauses and choices about Home Inspection, Financing, inclusions, exclusions and the Sellers Disclosure Form that’s part of structuring an offer to purchase, or there should be. Read the rest of this entry »
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Home Ownership Tax Benefits
April 6th, 2009 categories: Financial, First Time Home Buyers, Home Buyers, Home Sellers
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is working to protect the threatened Mortgage Interest Deduction for homeowners as reported in their April
Issue of On The Hill. When it comes to tax deductions, every little bit helps beleaguered home owners.
By now, everyone’s heard about the 2009 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit (Form available here), one of the 10 key features of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
But, even if your not a First Time Home Buyer and if you are a home owner in Chester County or the Main Line Pa area who has recently purchased or sold a home, don’t forget to ask your Accountant about some of the benefits of home ownership that Uncle Sam traditionally offers to encourage home ownership.
There could be some tax benefit questions for you to ask about right on your HUD1 Settlement Sheet. So be sure to provide your HUD 1 Settlement statement to your tax professional and ask about the following: Read the rest of this entry »
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Main Line Pa Homes For Sale Absorption Rate Report
March 28th, 2009 categories: Delaware County, Financial, Home Sellers, Market Trends, Montgomery County
Radnor Township Real Estate, Haverford, Lower Merion and Upper Merion Townships Real Estate Absorption Report February 2009
The Main Line Pa Real Estate Absorption Rate Report comparison February
2008 to February 2009. Comparing our four Lower Main Line Pa area Townships (Radnor, Haverford, Lower Merion and Upper Merion) for the Months Supply of Inventory, Days On Market, Residual Inventory (backlog) and New Listings On Market.
As I was preparing this Absorption Rate Report, I saw a tick up in the Median Listing price for some lower Main Line Pa Townships.
This would not be a good time to be increasing the Listing prices beyond what’s indicated by recent comparable sold prices and market conditions. Read the rest of this entry »
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Absorbing Chester County Homes For Sale
March 25th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Financial, Market Trends
Real Estate Absorption Tredyffrin Township, Easttown, Willistown, Uwchlan and Upper Uwchlan Townships*
The Real Estate Market Absorption Rate, Months Supply of Inventory and
Days On Market are key indicators that provides historical data about where we’ve been but more importantly also tells us something about future house values, for the short term anyway. For some Chester County Main Line Pa news that you can use, try Calculating the Absorption Rate. Or contact me and I’ll prepare a Comparative Market Analysis for your homes value price range, neighborhood and community.
The Table below shows a comparison between February 2008/2009 of 5 of our Read the rest of this entry »
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Chester County Real Estate~Comparable Sold Property
March 20th, 2009 categories: Chester County, Delaware County, Financial, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Montgomery County
Chester County Real Estate Comparable “Sold” Properties
Comparable sold properties are the “bread and butter” of successful buying and selling
homes in Chester County and the Main Line Pa area, or anywhere else. Get it wrong and your real estate bread is likely to wind up butter side down!
Why do Realtors® talk about Comps, Comparables, House Values, Comparative Market Analysis, CMA’s? What the heck is a Comparable anyway?
10 Comparable “Price The House Right” Success Tips:
- *same style home (2 story Colonial, Split Level, Cape Style, Ranch Style, Contemporary Style, French Style, Bi-level Style, town home, condos)
- *same number of bedrooms and baths
- *same interior square footage
- *same size lot and similar location
- *same condition of amenities
- *same neighborhood, township
- *garage or not
- *central air or not
- *same school system
- *same age
Comparable means, similar or substantially the same. Since no house or real Read the rest of this entry »
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First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009
February 16th, 2009 categories: Financial, First Time Home Buyers, Home Buyers, Market Trends
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
After all of the confusing housing information that’s been circulating as both the House and the Senate have struggled with how to stimulate the Housing Industry into growth, we now have the agreed on House and Senate Bill going to President Obama’s Desk this week for signature.
Following are some of the details of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that we’ll all need to embrace and work with. This Summary Chart from NAR provides the high points (pdf file) Read the rest of this entry »
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