Surrey Services for Seniors is a local charity helping Seniors to age in place, allowing them to remain in their homes and their communities. They do much more than that, and to fully discover the depth of their offerings it is best to check out their website at www.SurreyServices.org.But how do you support them with out walking 400 miles? I recently found an anonymous donor who will match gifts up to $5000 and therefore a simple click allows you to double your gift and also support Surrey Services for Seniors at the same time.Simply go to https://surreyservices.org/donate-now click the honor box and in the comments say CAMINO so the gift gets matched.In the meantime I will be walking 400 miles from Lisbon in Portugal to Santiago di Compostella in Spain so you don't have to do anything ... 09/14/2018

As we age we go through different seasons of life. There comes a time when we no longer need  a large home, and we may need one level living or even some additional help to live our lives as fully as we wish. What is next?I have been a long time supporter of Surrey Services for Seniors that encompasses this in their mission to help seniors age in place and to remain in their community. So much so that as I walk the Camino Portugues from Lisbon to Santiago a distance of 400 miles I am raising funds for Surrey, you can make a donation here just click the honor box and enter Camino as an anonymous donor will be match gifts up to $5000, so double your gift and please be generous.Today, I got to meet the wonderful team at BrightView Senior Living in Devon and learn about their new project at... 09/12/2018

As a realtor my job is to help people buy and sell houses in Tredyffrin Easttown and along and around the Main Line. But it includes a responsibility to support our communities as well. One of the driving forces in my life is to help others. So, when I do anything I always consider how I can use it to help others even when it is something personal. I recently decided to embark on a personal challenge, to walk one of the Camino de Santiago routes. These are pilgrim routes dating back thousands of years across parts of Europe all ending in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I am going to be walking the Camino Portgues from Lisbon to Santiago a distance of 620 kilometers, just under 400 miles. The way I am supporting my community with this walk is to ask others to make a donation to one of t... 09/06/2018

The Philadelphia luxury real estate market report July 2018The luxury market has slowed down somewhat compared to other parts of the market, but there is plenty of choice of homes, unlike other parts of the market. We work closely and directly with our clients to find them the homes they want, or to acheive the sale of their home. Contact Nick Vandekar, Tredyffrin Easttown Realtor, Selling The Main Line with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, email Nick@VandekarTeam.com, website www.SellingTheMainLine.com.  08/16/2018

I showed a home yesterday to some investor clients who are looking for a home to flip. We thought we had found a good contender and made an appointment to show the home. We got rejected because the agent could not meet us at the time we asked for, not sure why the agent had to be there, as the home was priced in the low 600's. Strike 1, make your home easy to show!Then I get an email from the agent, he is away at the moment, can we do later in the afternoon when he was going to have an open house. OK, no problem, we adjusted our plans and agreed.Well it all be came clear when we visited why the agent needed to be there. The home is described as a 4 bedroom 3 bath home. Location was great as I said, and there was room for a flip as the comps supported some upgrades and a resale. So our h... 08/01/2018

How long will it take to sell my Tredyffrin Easttown or Main Line home?" is an often asked question at a listing presentation. We can answer it, using all the flashy statistics at our fingers, days on market, price points etc. But, is it the right question to ask?A better question might be "How quickly will you have my Tredyffrin Easttown or Main Line home on the market?"There are many agents you can use, different brokers, teams, etc. How do you know which is the right one?We know when we list a property exactly when it is going to go live on the internet, on our MLS because we control everything. We enter our own descriptions, we arrange the proffesional photographer ourselves, we are in control. We do not rely on a listing coordinator, or an office administrator who might be busy wit... 07/23/2018

When did you last buy appliances?If you ever wonder about communication skills needed for sales or selling real estate, go buy some appliances.We just purchased some updated appliances for our kitchen. We learned a tremendous amount about the process and we thought we were relatively savvy buyers. We did all the on line research, we knew what we wanted before we ever went to the store.However, we discovered all the things we didn't know only when the items got delivered and which no salesman ever told us.Appliances which are white or black are white or black all over. But, if you buy stainless steel, it may be grey, or black on the sides, top or bottom. When you go to the store and they are all lined up next to each other you rarely if ever see the sides of them. If your appliance is go... 07/19/2018

It only takes one buyer!We often use this expression when you have a listing that doesn't sell for one reason or another and everything is right with the price and the presentation. Our job then is to reassure the seller not to panic and understand that you need to find that buyer and sometimes it takes a little longer than others.But, sometimes it works when you just list a property as well. Friday morning after posting coming soon and just listed blog posts, uploading photos to our website and syndicating the listing, video of the property on Facebook and YouTube we had our first showing for our latest listing 380 Old Forge Crossing in Devon PA 19333, a wonderful Tredyffrin Easttown condo, on the second floor with updated bathroom and kitchen, lovely hardwood floors and a great locati... 07/10/2018

Not every home is ready to sellWhen a customer calls to discuss listing their home there is a lot of preparatory work that is done before we meet for the first time. Many people believe real estate agents just turn up with a sign, put the home in the MLS, the multiple listing service, and collect a check a few weeks later.But, first we do lots of research, every home is different, we need to research the development and the street to understand the local and hyper local market. We need to work out what the current competition is and what past sales indicate about the market. We do all this before we even see the home in question.Then we turn up to meet the potential seller, walk through the home and get an idea of the current condition of the home and what might need doing before the ho... 06/21/2018

Someone could imagine themselves sitting here with a cup of coffee enjoying the cool breezes or warm winds. 39 Old Forge Crossing is now under agreement, the perfect Tredyffrin Easttown location. Close to shops, restaurants, bars and plenty of opportunity for outdoor living with a community pool, tennis courts, access to the Chester Valley Trail and Valley Forge National Park.This spacious apartment on the second floor offered a nice open floor plan with 2 beds and 2 full baths, laundry in the apartment and mail delivered to your door.We love this Old Forge Crossing development and all it has to offer to its residents with a strong social committee which organizes plenty of events throughout the year, a strong management association which is on site. Interested in finding a home here, 1... 06/12/2018

Some thoughts on selling houses in this very odd market right now.Our local Tredyffrin Easttown and Main Line real estate market is suffering from low inventory, like many other areas across the country. It is so bad in some townships that finding any comps for listings is well nigh impossible. However, there are large numbers of buyers waiting for homes to be listed and sellers are inundated with offers in a matter of hours. But those offers may not be all they seem?What are they offering? Fair market value or any price, but dependent on it appraising!Fair market value is what buyer and seller are willing to transact the sale at, many buyers may offer a similar price, so that would be fair market value right, but hold on if it needs to appraise is that fair market value. For an apprais... 05/22/2018

I was out yesterday previewing homes on broker open, whilst it was hot these two features made me feel cooler, the sound of water is very relaxing.And then I came across this at a beautiful house.If you want a water feature let us help you find the right Main Line home, and the right feature.Call Nick Vandekar,Tredyffrin Easttown Realtor, Selling The Main Line with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, Nick@VandekarTeam.com,  or website at www.SellingTheMainLine.com. 05/09/2018

When the market is hot many sellers think they can save money by listing with a low cost broker. They may consider a new different approach, thinking that the savings are going to end up in their pocket. But how much money are you leaving on the table?For the past two weeks we have listed homes, spending time and money preparing them for sale and pre marketing them professionally. We have held open houses at both, although many agents say open houses don't sell your home. The first home we had over 150 people through the open houses over the weekend, we received 11 offers, all above asking and the seller was very happy. This past weekend we had 60-70 people attend the open house and we received 6 offers, again all above the asking price, another happy seller.We obtained higher prices fo... 05/02/2018

39 Old Forge Crossing, Devon, PA 19333Second floor 2 bed 2 bath Devon condo in popular Old Forge Crossing. Tredyffrin Easttown School district, Pennsylvania's #1 ranked school district by Niche; students attend New Eagle Elementary, Valley Forge Middle School and Conestoga High School.Parking right outside the door, with plentiful parking spaces, mail delivered to your door and with laundry facilities in your apartment. The real estate mantra of location, location, location is true for Old Forge Crossing which sits in the perfect location, Imagine being just minutes drive to every where you want to be. King of Prussia Mall, Wegman's, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, the restaurants of Wayne, Devon, Berwyn and West Chester. Valley Forge National Park, Schuykill River Trail, Chester Valley Trai... 04/13/2018

If you watch any of the home buying programs it all seems so easy and quick. Call a real estate agent and hey presto half an hour and three homes later you make an offer and it is accepted. But the reality of buying a Tredyffrin Easttown, Main Line home is before you start looking at homes you need to do some leg work and educate your self to be ready. So what do you need to do?1. What is your Credit Score? Discover - first you need to find out what your credit score is, and then realize the number you find won't be the exact same number a mortgage professional will be given. Improve - you may need to take some steps to improve your score and clean up your credit report to make sure it is accurate, all this will take some time, it won't happen in half an hour.Protect - Finally you will ... 04/11/2018

There are many things that make an offer successful, and in this tight Tredyffrin Easttown Resal Estate market with little to no inventory it is important to include as many as possible. So, let's examine a few. CleanBy clean, I don't mean avoid spilling your coffee over the agreement, although it doesn't help. Don't include things that make a seller nervous. If an area doesn't have issues with oil, gas and mineral rights, including an addendum that addresses those can make a seller nervous as they don't understand why it is included. Avoid needing to have a home for sale or settlement contingency. If you can leave a contingency out do so, the easier it is for the seller to decide the quicker you will be successful. I am not suggesting waiving all inspections but there may be cases wher... 04/10/2018

Tredyffrin Easttown Homes For Sale $500-600,000 this is really one of the sweet spots in the market right now. Lots of buyers and a decent amount of choice, including new construction town homes.The new construction town homes are in various locations in the Tredyffrin Easttown school district in Berwyn, Chesterbrook, recently named the #2 place to live in the country behind Carmel, and Paoli.Watch our video about new construction homes in Berwyn:As of today, 17 homes are shown as being for sale, 11 town homes not every town home is new construction,  and 6 single family homes. Of these 17 homes, 4 are under contract. There are also 16 homes which are currently pending.These homes are a mix of 3 beds 2 1/2 baths and 4 beds 2 1/2 baths, with the occasional  3 bed 4  1/2 bath home.In Febr... 03/23/2018

Most of the time our job is to sell homes, either representing the buyer or the seller. We guide the buyer client through the transaction, we might suggest some local lenders who know the market, so they are approved and in a stronger position when it comes time to make an offer. We sit down and discuss the areas they want to look. We ask them what they are looking for and how they are going to live, are they indoors or outdoors people, with kids without kids, what about pets? All this we use to guide them to the right home. When the market is hot we have to encourage them that they will find the right home at the right time.For sellers we have another role, we provide comparable sales and homes for sale so they can price their home correctly. We advise them on how to prepare the home f... 03/17/2018

Do real estate signs work ? You be the judge.I was chatting with my friend Paul the Tredyffrin Easttown bee keeper yesterday and he told me this humorous story how a real estate sign saved the day.Last year he had a swarm of bees that were in a holly bush out in the open. Not the best thing. And they did not want to move. Paul had tried everything he knew to encourage them to move into a hive or swarm box.On the point of giving up, he saw lying around a real estate sign, "New Price" and as a joke he placed it on the swarm box This picture shows the swarm finally moving into the swarm box the next day. The bees obscure the entrance hole in the box. You can see another swarm box in the distance just to the left edge of the swarm box in the foreground and you can see the position of the ho... 03/13/2018

One little known benefit of our local libraries in Tredyffrin Easttown is the Museum Pass program. This has been expanded for 2018 to include Eastern State Penitentiary, Independence Seaport Museum, Wings of Freedom, Magic Gardens and the Museum of the American Revolution. Passes are available at Tredyffrin Libary on Upper Gulph Road in Strafford and also at Easttown Library (19 local attractions covered) on First Avenue in Berwyn, check with each library for the attractions covered by their passes. Paoli library may also have passes as they are part of the Tredyffrin Library network.Other benefits you may not know about from the libraries are mobile hot spots for when you travel, Paoli has a GoPro camera, online book access for audible and kindle or tablet version books, CD and DVD ren... 03/10/2018