Displaying blog entries 61-70 of 81
Want New Windows and Doors For Your Chester County PA Real Estate?
For the latest Chester County PA real estate market conditions in your neighborhood, please call me at 610-564-SCOT or visit ChesterCountyHomeSource.com.
This week we’ve been helping you make patios and decks more comfortable during hot and humid days. Today, we’re focusing on how to prevent ants (try Cream of Wheat), yellow jackets, and mosquitoes from ruining your outdoor fun this summer. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
In addition to chasing away the winter blues, spring also brings with it exciting times for gardeners who anticipate floral beauty and healthy plants for the grounds of their Chester County PA real estate. To fulfill your gardening hopes, however, you need to prioritize your time in order to tend to all the tasks necessary for blooms and blossoms.
For early blooming shrubs such as forsythia and viburnum, prune them as soon as blooms have passed. Early spring is also an ideal time to prune your roses.
Remove spent flowers from bulbs, but leave the rest of the plant as is for the time being.
Pull weeds from your beds and borders before they have a chance to take hold and spread.
Tend to your compost if it has been neglected over the winter. If you do not have a compost bin, spring is a great time to start one.
Spring is a good time to prepare your tools for the oncoming gardening season and to make any necessary repairs or new purchases. You will be happy you have done so when summer sets in.
Spring is a great time to add new plants to your garden. Be sure, however, that all threat of frost has past. Plant such things as trees, shrubs, hardy annuals, and summer blooming bulbs.
Fertilize and mulch beds and borders. Spring is also a good time to fertilize fruit trees. If you applied heavy winter mulch for protection from the cold, you will need to clear it away.
Stake plants that may be prone to wind damage during the unpredictable spring weather.
One type of gardening which appeals to many environmentalists is organic gardening, the incorporation of the entire landscape design and environment to improve the soil and maximize plant production without using synthetic materials.
Another gardening philosophy which is gaining in popularity is “no till” planting. Proponents of this system insist that not tilling the soil of your Chester County PA real estate improves the quality of the dirt by not disturbing it and thus not bringing buried weeds, bacteria, and carbon to the surface. Layers of mulch and other organic materials not only “feed” the soil, but also control weed growth.
Whatever method you select, may your gardening days be happy and your blooms rewarding!
Before you put your home up for sale, use the right comparable sales to find the perfect price. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Updating the kitchen is probably the costliest project on most home owners’ lists. If it’s not in the budget, we hear all about the quick fixes you can do in your kitchen. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Sweep out the dust bunnies. Clear away the clutter. Time to put wasted space beneath the staircase to work with customized storage solutions. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to choose representation that meets your needs in the transaction. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Yes, there are still qualified buyers out there, but the supply of Chester County homes for sale is far greater than the demand for them, and today’s buyers can afford to be very selective. Your house may have excellent curb appeal and be beautifully staged, but if you really want to sell in this market, you must be realistic, flexible, and creative when it comes to pricing, availability, flexibility, and motivating the buyer to purchase your property.
PRICING: A few years ago, you probably could have sold your home for what you think it is worth today--or even more--but that is most likely no longer the case. Of course, the thought of taking a loss is a bitter pill for you to swallow, but if that’s what the recent sales in your neighborhood indicate, you may have no choice. It is important that you and your Realtor, after reviewing comparables, be objective and set a realistic price that will draw buyers. Keep in mind that the buyer is looking for the best possible deal and will avoid even looking at an overpriced house.
AVAILABILTY/FLEXIBILITY:
INCENTIVES: Today’s sellers are turning more and more to finding ways to create interest in their property and motivate hesitant buyers. Since builders of new homes offer such incentives, it is becoming commonplace for other sellers to do the same. Examples of incentives include:
Note: if you do offer incentives of any kind, make sure that they are included in your real estate listing.
The 2011 real estate market forecast depends on who you talk to. There are conflicting signs but most experts predict a slow growth in sales nationwide. Real estate guru Barbara Corcoran has this to say about buying a home in 2011:
“Of course people are nervous about buying with so many mixed signals, but my advice would be: Do not wait. If there's one thing I learned about this real estate is that it's very slow to unwind and usually takes years to do it. But once it decides to turn around, those prices move up very quickly, and you'll just be joining every Tom, Dick and Harry bidding on the same house. If you have an inclination to move, you'll get no better time than now, with cheap money, cheap prices and an embarrassment of riches to choose from. Why wouldn't you buy now if you were so inclined? The only thing you need is a little courage.”
Let’s compare December 2010 to 2009 to real estate statistics to see what improvement has taken place in our local market.
Downingtown Area School District saw a 24% decrease in the average sales price in December 2010, compared to December 2009 to $333,258. Pending listings have decreased by 28%, while sold listings have decreased by 10%. There was a 14% decrease in active listings, while market times increased by 75 days.
|
Downingtown |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Dec 2010 |
31 |
18 |
37 |
$333,258 |
143 |
|
Dec 2009 |
36 |
25 |
41 |
$436,972 |
68 |
In the West Chester Area School District, there was an increased in Sold listings of 13% when compared to December 2009. And pending sales decreased by 4% in December 2010 when compared to December 2009. Average sales price decreased by 15% to $345,613 and active listings decreased by 10% from December 2009. Market times have decreased by 5 days.
|
West Chester |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Dec 2010 |
60 |
47 |
69 |
$345,613 |
92 |
|
Dec 2009 |
67 |
49 |
60 |
$404,775 |
97 |
Active listing have decreased by 38% in the Coatesville Area School District in December 2010 when compared to December 2009. The average sales price decreased by 4% to $198,739 and sold listings decreased by 8%. The number of pending home sales decreased by 9% when compared to December 2009, while homes were on the market on average 87 days more than in December 2009.
|
Coatesville |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Dec 2010 |
45 |
32 |
36 |
$198,739 |
138 |
|
Dec 2009 |
72 |
35 |
39 |
$207,528 |
51 |
A word of caution...markets within a school district can be very different from neighborhood to neighborhood. For the latest Chester County PA real estate market conditions in your neighborhood, please call me at 610-564-SCOT or visit ChesterCountyHomeSource.com.
Nearly eight out of 10 Americans believe buying a home is a good financial decision, despite ongoing challenges with the economy and housing market. That’s according to the 2010 National Housing Pulse Survey, an annual report released by the National Association of Realtors®.
The survey, which measures how affordable housing issues affect consumers, also found job security concerns to be the highest in eight years of sampling, with 70 percent of Americans saying that job layoffs and unemployment are a big problem in their area; eight in 10 cite these issues as a barrier to homeownership.
Despite economic uncertainty, 68 percent of those surveyed still believe now is a good time to buy a home; while that number is down from last year (75 percent), it’s up from 2008 (66 percent) and 2007 (59 percent). Lower home prices and record-low mortgage interest rates may be attracting buyers to the housing market – more than one-fourth of renters said they are thinking more about buying a home than they were a year ago. Sixty-three percent of renter respondents said that owning a home is a priority in their future, and nearly 40 percent said it was one of their highest priorities.
Lower home prices have improved affordability. Let’s take a look at October home sales and see how improved affordability is affecting our local housing market.
Downingtown Area School District saw a 15% increase in the average sales price in October 2010, compared to October 2009 to 382,776. Pending listings have decreased by 44% and sold listings have decreased by 38%. There was a 33% decrease in active listings, while market times increased by 15 days.
|
Downingtown |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Oct 2010 |
62 |
35 |
33 |
$382,776 |
87 |
|
Oct 2009 |
93 |
62 |
53 |
$324,662 |
72 |
In the West Chester Area School District, there was an decrease in Sold listings of 37% when compared to October 2009. And pending sales decreased by 33% in October 2010 when compared to October 2009. Average sales price increased by 13% to $366,132 and active listings decreased by 13% from October 2009. Market times have increased by 28 days.
|
West Chester |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Oct 2010 |
117 |
64 |
55 |
$366,132 |
90 |
|
Oct 2009 |
132 |
96 |
87 |
$317,489 |
62 |
Active listing have decreased by 23% in the Coatesville Area School District in October 2010 when compared to October 2009. The average sales price decreased by 2% to $205,612 and sold listings decreased by 39%. The number of pending home sales decreased by 47% when compared to October 2009, while homes were on the market on average 6 days more than in October 2009.
|
Coatesville |
Active |
Pending |
Sold |
Average |
Average |
|
Oct 2010 |
90 |
36 |
37 |
$205,612 |
97 |
|
Oct 2009 |
117 |
68 |
61 |
$208,832 |
84 |
A word of caution...markets within a school district can be very different from neighborhood to neighborhood. For the latest Chester County PA real estate market conditions in your neighborhood, please call me at 610-564-SCOT or visit ChesterCountyHomeSource.com.
Displaying blog entries 61-70 of 81
