Heather's Bucks County Real Estate Blog: December 2008

My Dad always counseled us against buying a car in the rain.  Seems he did it once, and although he's a meticulous man, the next day, dings and dents became apparent.  We recently bought a car on a rainy day, and you know what?  The next day, we found some dings that we had missed.

As winter approaches Bucks County, and our days get significantly shorter, please be cautious about looking at homes at night after work. 

From a practical standpoint, it makes it almost impossible to actually see the lot.  Since location is the hallmark of real estate, the lot the home is on is almost as important as the home itself.  Additionally, it's sometimes difficult to access the property (see my icy driveway post).

As for the interior of the home...

If the Sellers were smart and left the home well lit:

You know how everyone looks hotter by candlelight?  It softens the wrinkles and adds a glow to the skin and a sparkle to the eyes.  That's what your getting with a warmly lit home.  Cracks in the drywall, funky floors, dinged appliances - they'll all be softened by the glow of lamps.  What is obvious under the glare of natural light can be missed at night.  Also, you need to make sure the the home DOES get lots of natural light during the day.

If the Sellers (I'm looking at YOU Mr. Banker) have left the home dark:

Well, I probably don't have to go any further with this.  If you can see it, you can't buy it.  Duh.

My recommendation is this: you should always do a second showing on a property you're thinking of purchasing.  If the first was done in the dark, make sure the second is in full daylight.

Oh, and never buy a car in the rain.

With the increase of Bank Owned Properties on the market right now, I send a plea to Mr. Banker...

Please, for the LOVE OF GOD, shovel your walkways and driveways. 

And it wouldn't hurt 'ya any to buck up for some, let's say heat and electricity.

I set up showings for two bank owned properties that have been on the market for 90 and 185 days.  The first property had no heat, and while my clients and I walked through with our breath puffing in the air, let's just say this:  my clients weren't inclined to linger.  We walked back to the gorgeous in-law suite only to find that the electric to that part of the house had been turned off.  We think there was a jacuzzi in the completely dark bath.  We're not sure.

As we entered the driveway to the second home, my truck slid sideways on the iceslick of a driveway midway up the hill to get to the home.  My clients had made it to the top of the hill, but couldn't come down because I had closed off the driveway.  I abandoned my truck and soldiered on up the hill, only to have my client wipe out getting out of his car and yelling down to me to forget it.  There was no electricilty on - at all - at this house, so we couldn't see anything anyway.

It took me around 10 minutes to get my truck out of the driveway without sliding into a busy road, and I only did so by driving in a ditch and having pine trees rake the side of my car.  I then had to park on the shoulder of the road with my hazards on and tell my clients when the road was clear, since they anticipated sliding down the drive into the road without being able to stop the car.

Since we haven't had any snow or ice since last week, I guess it's been that long since anyone, including the agent, had checked on the condition of the property.

Look, I get it.  You're trying to minimize your loss.  However, you're still allowing the house to be shown. In theory, you're still trying to attract a Buyer.  All the basic tenets of showing a property still apply - even to bank owned properties.  Lights are necessary.  Access to the home is necessary.  If you want people to actually take the time to look at the home, HEAT is necessary in the middle of winter.

Give me something to work with, and maybe I can actually sell your home.  Whatever your pay for the minimal expense of basic courtesies for the Buyer will surely be outweighed by a shorter marketing period.

Once again, Santa (and perhaps Mrs. Claus if we're lucky), will be touring Wrightstown, Pennsylvania on December 20th, courtesy of the fabulous members of the Lingohocken Fire Company.

You can find his tour schedule here.

Seeing Santa come by on the fire truck is one of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child (ok, honestly, probably second to the PRESENTS).  There is something just so exciting about the lights and sirens and the neighbors all clustered outside cheering. 

Last year, Santa's ride came to us as a surprise.  We gave Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their helpers warm water and frozen Christmas cookies. 

This year, we'll be sure to de-frost the cookies and chill the water.

Look for us, Santa!  We'll have snacks.

Remember when we talked about Acreage vs. Privacy?

You have a powerful tool in Google Maps that allows you to preview properties before you ever make an appointment to view them.  Using Google Maps, or even Google Earth if you're feeling adventuresome, allows you to preview the area, assess the property, and locate any positive or negative features of the property.

Using my previous post as an example, I put both the addresses into Google Maps and selected the satellite image.

Here are the maps of the properties:

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

You can see where I'm going with this, right?  It's a quick way to check out the area and lot, and in many cases you will be able to eliminate homes or consider others simply by doing this step.  You can also be aware of some hidden surprises - quarries, air fields, community parks, etc. There may be things that will impact your decision (good and bad) that are not within eyesight of the home, but are readily apparent on the map.

Pretty helpful, isn't it? 

'Tis the season to be wrapping up - not only my gifts but my year end stats.  I've been going through my business this year, figuring out where my business has come from, what it looks like, and where it's going.

First, I want to thank all my family, friends, and past clients for all their referrals over the past year.  I'm so proud and grateful that you've entrusted me with your own friends and family.  Almost 70% of my business this year came from you, and it's a rockin' way to run a business.  I work with nice people, do a great job for them, and they send nice people my way.  Perfect!

Thank you.

Down to the nitty-gritty of my sales numbers.  I think they show that you CAN sell a house in this market, and I know how to do it. The table below shows my average days on market and sale to list price vs. the averages for Bucks County through December 9th.