Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sellers: Leave your Home to Your Agent and Buying Customers

Should I stay or should I go when my home is showing?

Gently put, most agents say that when potential homebuyers come to see your home, it’s best that you leave the premises.

Perspective buyers don’t want to see owners hovering or milling about. When they do, they get uncomfortable and feel as if they are intruding. This often causes buyers to look quickly without gaining a proper feel for the home.

The reason sellers give for sticking around is that they believe home shoppers won’t be able to find everything, and the sellers want to point out the important features. Another is that owners feel they can help “sell” the property by talking about the positives.

Rest assured your real estate agent is well trained in showcasing your home, and in reading buyers and knowing when it’s best to relay information to them. If you bombard a seller with too much information all at once, you are going to leave a less-favorable impression. You might even hurt your cause by calling attention to something buyers aren’t interested in.

Let buyers discover your home’s features themselves at their own pace.
Some sellers choose to wait outside in their car or on the patio, which is better, but still not ideal. Again, if prospective buyers feel like they are being rushed they are going to move on to the next property on their list quickly.

Face it, there are some parts of selling a home that can be challenging and vacating the home is at the top of that list—especially when there are kids to care for, dinners to cook and work to be done.

However, you want buyers to spend as much time as they want in your home, envisioning the possibility of living there someday. So go to a neighbor’s home, the library or shopping. The inconvenience will be worth it in the long run.
















Chip Plumley can be reached at (610) 444-9090 or (610) 357-8635.
Prudential Fox & Roach is an independently owned and operated member of
BRER Affiliates Inc. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential.
Equal Housing Opportunity.




ChipPlumley.com



Sunday, April 15, 2012

March 2012 Tri-State Real Estate Market Report

February 2012 Tri-State Real Estate Market Analysis

Home Sales Are Up In PA & DE !

So why does the media keep reporting bad home sales?

Chester County saw HUGE increases once again! Q1 of '12 is a success! Here are March 2012's statistics versus March 2011.

Less inventory and higher demands are slowly turning the market from a buyer's market to a mixed market.

  1. Pending Home Sales were up 48.0%. 567 homes went under contract.
  2. Settled Homes were up 10.5%. 347 homes successfully settled.
  3. $109,000,000 in total settled volume which was down slightly by 2.5%.
  4. The average settled price was $313,000 compared to $355,000 last year.
  5. A small sign of hope for prices....homes settled at 91.2% of their original listing price which is an increase of 1.7%


New Castle County also saw significant gains in March 2012!

  1. Pending Home Sales were up 31.8%. 555 homes went under contract.
  2. Settled Homes were up an 44.8%. 443 homes successfully settled.
  3. $96,000,000 in total settled volume which was up 48.0%.
  4. The average settled price was $183,000 compared to $190,000 last year. The only negative thing about March.
  5. Homes settled at 89.9% of their original listing price which is an increase of 1.5%
All-in-all, it was a good way to start off the first quarter of 2012! The winter didn't slow us down as everyone usually predicts. A buyer's market generally has a 6-12 month supply of homes, so we are still within that range. However, homeowners are selling there homes!

Don't believe the media when they tell you things are getting worse.

I strongly urge you to take a look at the reports straight from TrendMLS (the area's Multiple Listing Service) and determine your own opinion of what the market is truly like. The numbers speak for themselves!

Please click on your County below for the detailed PDF of your market area.


Interest rates are starting to climb a little. A 30 year fixed rate is about 3.875% and a 15 year fixed rate is around 3.5%. There is a possibility of getting a lower rate with points too. Great time to buy and sell!


Chester County

Delaware County

New Castle County

Tri-State Area Year-To-Date Market Snapshot

Marketwatch Report - 2012:Q1 Report



Chip Plumley can be reached at (610) 444-9090 or (610) 357-8635.
Prudential Fox & Roach is an independently owned and operated member of
Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company.
Equal Housing Opportunity.



ChipPlumley.com