I walked the Camino de Santiago last year from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostella,the Camino Portugues and then on to Muxia and Finisterra, a distance of 532 miles. What I love about the different Camino routes is the hostels that are along the route for Pilgrims, as the walkers are called because these are all ancient pilgrimage routes.Each day you have an intention of where and how far you are going to walk. At the end of the day you hope you will be able to find a bed in a hostel, municipal or private, or resort to a hotel. The hostels on my route were not as prevalent as along the Camino Francaise. Many days you would need to walk a distance of at least 18 miles to reach the next lodging. I walked on average 23 miles a day, with just three rest days. When I was young I had camped, bu... 02/15/2019

 Old Forge Crossing saw a light year for sales in 2018; with a total of just 23 sales. Of these sales 19 were one bedroom units including those with and without a den, 4 were two bedroom units and 1 was a townhouse. Sales are shown in the table below. For more information look below the table.  Address Beds Baths/Powder Net Sold $ 432 Old Forge 1 1/0 $176,304 331 Old Forge 1 1/0 $149,000 136 Old Forge 1 1/0 $162,500 229 Old Forge 1 1/0 $128,000 86 Old Forge 1 1/0 $160,000 455 Old Forge 1 1/0 $156,000 375 Old Forge 1 1/0 $160,000 333 Old Forge 1 1/0 $155,000 339 Old Forge 1 1/0 $160,000 525 Old Forge 1 1/0 $168,000 452 Old Forge 1 1/0 $168,000 497 Old Forge 1 1/0 $150,000 442 Old Forge 1 1/0 $168,500 380 Old Forge 1 1/0 $176,000 220 Old Forge 1 1/0 $156,750 471 Old Forge 1 1/0 $153,524 1... 02/13/2019

I am reading Gary Zukav's book Soul to Soul. In there he tells a story about his wife,  running a race. It began with a long uphill section, which then became a second stage also uphill. As they reached the end of this stage looking forward to the downhill part of the course they were greeted by another uphill section. Starting to get angry, she thought well everything that goes up, comes down she waited for the downhill section of the course, but no it continued to climb. Struggling with her anger it then dawned on her that the whole course was uphill. She readjusted her thoughts and put her energy into running rather than anger and completed the race.It got me thinking. When I walked my Camino last year, I walked part of the way from Lisbon to Porto with a Frenchman, Andre. The night ... 02/12/2019

Yesterday I met up with some new friends from a group I have joined who hike regularly. I am finding all sorts of places where you can walk short or long distances. Whilst it is cold and the trees have no leaves right now you can see these will be wonderful places come Spring through the Fall.We met up yesterday at White Clay Creek Preserve and State Park, which is right on the Pennsylvania Delaware border. When it was mentioned we would have some hills to climb in Delaware there was some joking that there are no hills in Delaware and maybe "those hills" should be movedinto Pennsylvania. We hiked 10 miles, starting out along the creek, all wrapped up warmly due to the cold, but as time and miles passed we warmed up, until we stopped for a snack on an open hilltop getting chilled by the ... 02/10/2019

Today I have woken to find the lovely spring/summer temperatures have dropped. My hiking group has a 10 mile hike planned today down on the Pennsylvania/Delaware state line. I have been promised that it is very scenic and well worth the trip. It is about an hour away, and I have not been on a hike this long since I finished my camino in October. I am looking forward to it.I am taking my backpack, along with some additional layers, rain jacket and poncho although I don't think I will need those other than as a windbreak. But, it also allows me to carry some snacks and water.How far are you walking today? A common question on the Camino, not so common in everyday American life. I am looking forward to the camaraderie of the group and to the exercise and the fresh air as well as the time o... 02/09/2019

Home buyers on and around the Main Line love to purchase new construction homes for a lot of reasons. You get to choose all the finishes, no one has used or lived in the house and everything is obviously new and clean. Everyone is new to the area and making friends in a new development can be a little easier.But what often gets forgotten is that builders contracts often allow for pushing settlement back due to weather, extreme cold or rain. Any of these can hold construction or finishing up and delay closing.Many buyers also forget, if they have a mortgage, then the appraiser needs to confirm for the bank or lender that the house is finished. That means everything and builders don't put their money into escrow for unfinished items. So you as a buyer may need to come up with additional f... 02/08/2019

I got the chance today to catch up with Long & Foster Companies, President, Gary Scott. In this short video he gives us his view of the 2019 market, a little longer than our usual videos but very interesting to get the view of one of the leaders of the real estate industry. Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line is excited to be paired with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., being one of the leading companies within the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services of America group. We have the tools and the knowledge to help you sell or buy your Main Line or Tredyffrin Easttown home.We are here to help you make confident decisions about your home, so contact Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, Nick@VandekarTeam.com, w... 02/06/2019

As I have thought back over transactions it is so hard to pick out any of my clients as being special. At the moment, the client I am with is special. They have my attention and I work diligently to make sure they are happy and understand the process of buying or selling.However, a recent post I wrote helped me select the second of my Love is in the air posts. I realized with a recent call from a potential client I love to work with people who really need my help. They want to live in the Tredyffrin Easttown area but for one reason or another that is a challenge for them. Often it is a financial challenge.We get many clients who want to live on the Main Line, but this is a very pricy location. Some of our zip codes feature in the reports on highest incomes in the country. And as such th... 02/05/2019

Many years ago, I got a call from an elderly customer. She had heard about me through the work I do at Surrey Services for Seniors. She lived on her own in a second floor condo, could I stop by and let her know what she needed to do to get her home sold.When I arrived, I had expected to meet an elderly single lady, who was most likely a little frail. She had told me she was in her late 70's.Well, did I get a surprise. Firstly, she had a wonderful attitude, full of energy, spry and very humorous. She was part of the Surrey Services Choir group and she enjoyed performing very much. Looking around her condo it became obvious that some things needed to be put away. She was planning to move to Cleveland to be near her son and his family as they needed some help. Note, they needed the help, n... 02/01/2019

In cold weather many buyers stay home in the warm. But this is great weather to look for homes and get an advantage over those who don't venture out. But you need a realtor who is not afraid of the cold.Thursday is hiking day, well every day is hiking day. But Thursdays the Appalachian Mountain Club hosts a hike at Valley Forge Park, 6-7 miles. When I got up this morning, although it was blue skies, the temperature was zero degrees Fahrenheit. I was having second thoughtsI decided to go hiking anyway. So dressed in several layers, put some warmers in my gloves and as I headed out, added one more layer and a second scarf to cover my face. Stepping outside the cold made me gasp.Well, it wasn't bad once we got going. Although my photo below I look pretty cold and my hands were. But out of ... 01/31/2019

If you have kids, no doubt they love dinosaurs. Heck, maybe you love dinosaurs. Well this event over the weekend, just up the road to Tredyffrin Easttown is a must see. Jurassic Quest!As their website states experience living, breathing even walking dinosaurs. I know my kids loved dinosaurs. they may not have known the capitals of the states but they knew the names of all the different dinosaurs. I think we even have dinosaur figures still in our basement and my kids moved out years ago.Opening today January 25 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks PA, just off Route 422 through January 27, tickets  cost for Seniors $20, Adults $22, Kids (2-12) $22 and there is a Kids VIP ticket at $36 which gives unlimited rides and activities. You pay for these separately with a regular tick... 01/25/2019

Real estate is often said to be all about location, location, location. I was reading something this morning which was talking about perspective and seeing things from a different perspective or view. It got me to thinking about changing your view or your location. I realize also how we talk about things can change how people view things. I remember when I was at the doctor and discussing some test results a few years ago he presented them as "there is 30% or greater chance this is aggressive". That did not sound good. But later, when I thought about it, I thought so there was a 70% or less chance it was not aggressive. How it is presented will affect us.The same goes for news, politics, opinions etc. If we are able to change our perspective and see things from a different angle of from... 01/22/2019

Walking is such a basic thing, we can take it for granted. There are many people who suffer disabilities or due to ill health don't have the ability to walk. But for those who do and live in Tredyffrin Easttown you have a lot of options for places to walk. Some of the trails which are paved are also suitable for those who use wheel chairs, some are more rugged and not wheel chair accessible.It is one of the things we love about the area. Some neighborhoods are better than others for walking. Although we have lived in three homes in the area, since we came to the States 30 years ago, all of them allowed us to walk out the door and enjoy fresh air and some exercise.On top of this there are many places within a short drive that allow you to walk or hike. In my video today, I hiked with som... 01/17/2019

Usually the term waterfront property is an attractive term. Here it takes on a whole new meaning. When I was walking the Camino Portugues last year I passed this house next to a river. My first thought was who would buy a home with water running through or underneath it. It was not the only home I saw with water running underneath it on the walk but it was the most extreme example. There was no indication this was a mill of some sort although it could have been and the mill apparatus was inside.Buyers need to know everything about a property to make wise decisions and be aware of all issues relating to a home. We represent buyers and sellers in Tredyffrin Easttown and along the Main Line. We pride ourselves at making sure they have the information and understand the process to be confid... 01/16/2019

This story has been adapted to not reveal those mentioned. It is not located in PA or on the Main Line but it does contain a good moral worth remembering.A client loved a particular home. They made an offer and their offer was accepted. It was an estate selling the home as is. Home inspections were arranged. Issues arose.The home was riddled with mold. Water was getting into the basement.  It was going to take extensive remediation to fix.There were also potential issues with the electrical wiring and the home inspector called for further investigation by an electrical contractor. However the inspector said the house was solid and had good bones.The buyer arranged some further inspections and contractors to visit the house. Yes the wiring needed to be replaced, it was old and was not up... 01/15/2019

We are always being asked by buyers about new homes in Tredyffrin Easttown. Well it is January 2019 and we thought this quick video showcases three town home developments, all of which are new construction, two have just a few homes left and one, a small development of just five homes has just been listed. These homes are all priced above $600,000 and vary from 3 bed 2 1/2 bath homes to 4 bed 4 1/2 bath homes with attached garages.  Call us for help.Watch the video for a quick review. If your interest is for a single family detached home contact us directly ass there is a large supply priced from $799,000 to $3,095,000 across the school district. Many of these are in the $1,000,000 to 1,500,000 range.Remember builders price a buyers agent into their spreadsheet, so don't be unrepresente... 01/14/2019

Why isn't your home selling? How to get to SOLD!Real estate is hot, it is a sellers market, we have all heard the reports, there is a lack of inventory and buyers are desperate to find homes. So why isn't your Tredyffrin Easttown, T/E, or Main Line home selling in this market?As full time Tredyffrin Easttown and Main Line Realtors we have seen a change in the market since the summer months. This change happened as we entered June and July. And whilst historically this usually happens, it did not really pick up when September came as it did in the past.Some of this was due to the lack of inventory; buyers simply could not find the home they wanted from those being offered. Some of it was the rising interest rates; increased rates priced some buyers out of their preferred price point. Som... 01/09/2019

Buying a fixer upper.With all the shows on TV showing homes being flipped for cash, many buyers when they first start looking for homes are asking for fixer uppers. I mean how hard can it be with all these shows on TV and everyone making money. Forget about the drama in those shows of the problems unearthed during rehab, the delays incurred waiting for permits and the fact the show is paying the wages of those featured, so those costs are not included. Frankly, for Main Line and Tredyffrin Easttown home buyers, buying a fixer upper can be a good option. Yes, there is definitely competition. With the lack of inventory, not only are contractors and builders looking for these homes, but many buyers are as well.However when a buyer sees many fixer uppers their comeback is: "That is way beyo... 01/03/2019

It's that time again! Tredyffrin Easttown homeowners bet you forgot about making any resolutions for your house!You know the start of the new year when everyone makes personal resolutions, new personal and business goals, a word to live the year by. That is all well and good on the personal front, we all need to continue to grow. But as a Tredyffrin Easttown home owner have you made or set any resolutions or goals for your home this year?When you buy a home, it is never perfect, whatever we tell ourselves and all our friends. Even those buying multi-million dollar homes usually make changes before or when they move in. Often when you live in a home you realize this or that does not work how you thought it would, so it needs changing. Remember that home inspection report you shelved or s... 01/02/2019

As a Main Line and Tredyffrin Easttown Realtor we are always looking for resources for our clients and customers. I wish all of us could always be in good health. But sometimes we suffer physical or neurological challenges due to trauma or disease. Dynamic Home Therapy and Dynamic Neurofit is a new business that has just opened in Devon at 890 Lancaster Avenue, opposite the Dunkin Donuts in Devon. It looks to be a wonderful resource for those suffering from Parkinsons and other neurological diseases as well as those with brain trauma. They are associated with Rock Steady Boxing which has over 700 affiliates world wide. Today, I met with Dr. Jennifer Brown, CEO and Founder, so watch our video below and see how this business can be a resource for you or a loved one who is suffering from a... 12/10/2018