There are all sorts of reasons why a transaction can go awry. Sometimes people simply change their minds, sometimes it is because of things outside of the transaction happening. And sometimes is is because of the actions of one of the parties involved directly. But, our challenge this month is to relate such an incident to and explain how we addressed the issue.This story actually is for a referral I gave to another agent just outside my area. I had the partner of a client's daughter needing to sell her mother's home. Everything went very smoothly, the agent I referred and the client got along very well. Advice was given, the home was prepared for sale, and the home went on to the market.There was lots of activity, offers were made, and one was accepted, inspections were done, everythin... 03/08/2023

In Chester County in 2022 we saw a massive drop in proposed building permits to 789 from 3425 in 2021 and 2681 in 2020. These were mainly for single family detached homes, but with townhomes and apartments not far behind.At the same time commercial development also saw a big drop from 2021 into 2022 but level with previous years development. This was mostly industrial square footage, followed closely by institutional, commercial, retail/other, hotels/resorts, office and then agricultural.At the same time Chester County was praised for increasing the availability of affordable housing in the county. Median house price has risen from $350,000 to $450,000 in the past three years.Affordable housing options that opened in 2022 include 111 new units in West Chester and Kennett Square. The Wil... 03/03/2023

In Pennsylvania like many other states a seller completes a seller disclosure form which is intended to help a buyer identify areas where there may be issues they need to inspect further or be aware of if they purchase this home.If the buyer is likely to be doing a home inspection why would a seller also incur the cost of doing their own home inspection before listing their home for sale?In the last couple of years the market has been so hot that many buyers have been waiving home inspections along with many other contingencies just to have an opportunity to have their offer considered. This has made it important for seller disclosures to be accurate as buyers can sue over things that have not been disclosed. Attorneys will always advise sellers to disclose, disclose, disclose! If in do... 02/24/2023

In the "old days" all we had were phones connected to the wall by a cord. It is laughable to think about it today as we are so used to so called smart phones. I still remember my very first phone number from when I was a child growing up in the suburbs of London, Stonegrove 9171, and we used the first three letters to dial the number.In those days you used to answer your phone as we didn't have answering machines. If the person you were calling did not answer, you called back. If they were on the phone you got an "engaged" signal and you called back. Today, we are always available to every Tom, Dick and Harry, sometimes your smart phone tells you who is calling, but it is not always true as numbers can be spoofed and show as one number when in fact the number calling is different.I have... 02/23/2023

2022 Real Estate ResultsWillowdale CrossingLocated in East Marlborough Twp and the Unionville-Chaddsford School District Three town homes were listed and sold in 2022, compared to two in 2021.One detached home was listed in 2022 and is still active compared to eight detached homes listed in 2021 and soldThe average days on market for detached homes in 2021 was 25, with an average sales price of $684,437For town homes that have closed the average days on market are 18, an increase of 5 days over 2021 but that is still low.The average town home price was $480,000 compared to $389,500 in 2021 a 23% increase over 2021 pricesThe 2022 median price was $495,000 The lowest price home sold for $435,000 and the highest price home sold for $510,000. Thinking of selling your home contact me for a c... 02/16/2023

Many people it seems are confused who actually makes the decisions during a real estate transaction, this includes clients and other agents. It definitely is not the tomb warrior in the picture above as wise as he looks.Many, many times I have clients ask me what I would do, or what they should do? This includes how much to offer, when to make an offer, what to do as a result of a home inspection etc.There are many decisions the client makes during a real estate transaction. I educate my clients throughout the process, asking questions to make sure they understand and have confidence in the decisions they are going to be making.Sometimes, when I negotiate with another agent, I realize they are trying to make the decision. for some reason, they have become personally involved or their eg... 02/14/2023

People often ask how much money they need to buy a house, and what they mean is how much money do I need to put down beside the mortgage?However, there are plenty of other costs as well when buying a home. These are referred to as closing costs and you need enough money to cover these as well.In Pennsylvania, we have transfer tax when real estate is sold, this is generally split equally between the buyer and the seller and depending on the township it can range from 1% each to 2% or more each.Then you have title insurance, there are two levels of title insurance, one covers the mortgage amount and protects your lender from any claims. Then there is owner title insurance and this has two levels, general and enhanced. The difference is not much between the two in cost, but the enhanced po... 02/07/2023

Here are 7 things most likely to happen when buying a home and what not to do!As much as you want to let all your friends and family know about the purchase of your new home on Facebook and every other social media site - Do not post anything before settlement.The property might not appraise at what you are purchasing it for. With rapidly rising prices due to very low inventory appraisers who only look backwards in time for their supporting comparable values might not keep up with the market. So be prepared.You will become irritated by all the demands for paperwork, documents that the mortgage company swears blind you have not already sent over when you know you have several times.You will need to provide evidence of where any money in your accounts has come from and show a trail for an... 02/01/2023

The names chosen for a development can be boring usually and other times they can be extremely interesting. Ever since moving to Big Elk we have wondered about the road names. Some are fairly obvious, but it is not till you do a little historical research that the others become meaningful.For example our road Thomas Penn is quite obvious, son of William Penn who after his father died in 1718 travelled to Pennsylvania in 1732 to become the Proprietor of Pennsylvania. William, who had actually been in the Tower of London because of his Quaker views, had been given land in Pennsylvania in 1681 after a charter from Charles II.His three sons inherited the land equally, and Thomas came to Pennsylvania in 1732 and negotiated with the Lenape Indians in 1737 to extend the land owned by the famil... 01/31/2023

Elk Creek Farms is a development of 194 homes built by Iacobucci Builders between 2002 and 2004, located on route 896. It comprises of single family detached homes of three, four and even five bedrooms, with two and three bathrooms.Whilst most homes have a two car garage I have seen some with three car garages. Most homes sit on  about 1/3 of an acre and homes vary between 2900-3900 square feet approximately with additional space in the basement.Children living here will attend Avon Grove Schools, Penn London Elementary, F S Engle Middle and Avon Grove High School. These homes have a West Grove mailing address.Eight homes sold in 2022, with the average days on market being 10. The average home price was $567,700. The lowest price home sold for $480,000 and the highest price home sold fo... 01/26/2023

There is no typical buyer out there, everyone has different needs. I have had clients buy the second house I have shown them and others who have taken months of showings before finding the right home.In the last couple of years with the extremely low inventory and low interest rates there was the added complication of multiple offers making obtaining the home you want to buy even more complicated.Today, with the interest rates having risen multiple offers are not as common as many buyers have stopped looking or adjusted their price points. However, the lack of inventory still means that there are more buyers looking than homes coming on the market, so multiple offers have not disappeared completely.Historically, I have found most buyers, whatever their situation, look at between ten and... 01/23/2023

Everyone knows about the Longwood Gardens Christmas Lights Display, but just down the road at the Herr's Factory in Oxford is a FREE display on the trees and factory.The whole campus is lit up, offices, factory and all the trees and the grounds as well. It is a drive through experience, but a fun one.After you have driven through there are plenty of places to enjoy dinner locally in Oxford and Nottingham, or a bit further away there is West Grove and Kennett Square. People come from Maryland, and all over to drive through and enjoy the display. No free chips, but a wonderful free light display. 01/20/2023

Every year in January our local board of Realtors installs their Board of Directors, those elected by the membership to serve and represent the local Realtor members.With COVID I have not attended one of these for some time, however this year i booked a seat for the luncheon, the installation and the program afterwards by Terry Watson. I have seen Terry at Triple Play our three state Realtor conference and program in Atlantic City. Below is one of his famous stories which I found particularly thoughtful at the time I heard it and worth remembering as you deal with real estate on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.Remember if you need help buying or selling on and around the Main Line and Chester County, contact Nick Vandekar, with Long & Foster Real Estate, office 610-2... 01/19/2023

Ovations at Elk ViewAt Ovations at Elk View you are purchasing more than just a home, you purchase a Carefree Lifestyle. As a resident of this 55+ Gold Star Rated Community you will enjoy the Grand Clubhouse, Fitness Center, Pools, Spa, Billiards, Library and much more all for a low monthly HOA fee.Ovations at Elk View has a combination of detached and twin homes, with two, three and four bedroom and two and three bath options. There are a variety of different models to suit all lifestyles, all the homes have a two car garage.Ovations at Elk View 2022 Summary Two Bedroom homes Prices Ranged from $385,000-465,000 Three Bedroom homes Prices Ranged from $395,000-550,000 Four Bedroom homes Prices Ranged from $410,000-603,000     There is 1 Three Bedroom home with a pending contract priced a... 01/18/2023

     Have you ever been to a Fox Hunt ? Very few ever have . One of the treasures of Chester Co., PA is a small hamlet called Unionville .  It is located about a hour west of Center City Philadelphia. It’s rural setting is spectacular and home to numerous Horse Farms . There is actually a Horse Hospital (lol) called New Bolton Center that specializes in getting injured horses back on their feet .  Additionally a number of Olympic Riders hail from Unionville .       But back to my original question . If you would like to experience an actual Fox Hunt you can . It’s always been part of what is known as”Chester Co. Day “ . This always happens the First Saturday of October.Additionally , about 50 very unique estates / historical homes will be open from 9-4 for those participating in Chester... 01/16/2023

Since I was about 21 I have been self employed most of my life. There has been the occasional bout of working for someone but mostly I was responsible for making things happen in whatever business I was working. I was always a believer in advertising and took out a lot of adverts in different Antiques Magazines around the world. Our family and our business were well known and recognized as a result. Today, things have changed, everyone talks about branding, and to do this one needs to be authentic, to know who you are and what drives you. Then apply that to all the "new" and different methods of reaching people. That can be Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, blogs, newsletters, and even some old ones like snail mail. You need to give your potential clients the means to f... 01/09/2023

Old Forge Crossing, Devon PA 2022 Sales Results and 2023 ForecastThere were 21 sales of homes in Old Forge Crossing in Devon PA that were recorded in our local Multiple Listing Service in 2022. Details for those are shown in the chart below. Overall, 2022 was a good year with significant price increases in homes in Old Forge Crossing. Days on market were just under 5 if we disregard the one listing which was on the market for 146 days. Also, most homes sold at the asking price or above as is shown in the ratio to original list price in the chart, anything over 1.00 was sold over the original asking price. Anything below 1.00 was sold below the original asking price.Old Forge Crossing Sales Highlights  One Bedroom Two Bedroom Town Homes 15 homes sold in 2022   6 homes sold in 2022 No tow... 01/05/2023

Amidst the craziness of our lives this year we did think to get some tickets two months ago for the Longwood Gardens Christmas/Winter Lights Display. That was a good idea as it is sold out.One of the gifts we were given for our wedding was membership to Longwood Gardens, which is about 15-20 minutes from our new home. What a great idea! We have been amazed how inventive people were in their gift giving and it showed they know us well. We have already decided that we will meet every week for a walk after work as Annie drives right past Longwood Gardens on her way home. It will also allow us an exercise time, whilst enjoying the beauty of Longwood through the Seasons. So I am warning you now, be prepared for lots of Longwood Garden photos in posts in 2023.Our new membership was actually g... 12/21/2022

 David HenkeLong & Foster Real Estate, IncDevon PA / Wilmington DEOffice:610-225-7400 / Direct:610-618-0808www.DelawarePAHomes.com  11/24/2022

In my series of there's a day for everything, I found out that today is National Take a Hike Day!I have missed several days of celebrating the various national days because I have been hit by the Covid bug and I wish it would take a hike!  Fortunately, I have a very mild head cold version of it but it does wipe you out.In Chester County, there are so many beautiful hiking trails.  You can find them here.So, if you are feeling healthy, get outside and take a hike!Cover Photo by Holly Mandarich on Unsplash  11/17/2022