Recent Pennsylvania Real Estate Articles
"Knowledge is power." It is an age old saying that rings true in today's dynamic real estate market. At Lawyers Realty, we believe that the more you know about selling and buying Pennsylvania real estate, the less risk you incur during the process. Below, please recent publisher articles that will educate and in the end empower you during your next home selling and buying process. Please click on the article's title to access the complete article.
Articles for Pennsylvania Home Sellers
Assuring Accurate Appraisals, Part I: Perennial Pressure Continues
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – May 28, 2009
During the height of the housing boom, appraisers were pressured to up the value of homes. Now, during the housing downturn, appraisers are being pressured to lower the value of homes. Either way, consumers, both buyers and sellers, are caught in the middle.
Appraisers Advise Sellers How to Get Top Dollar
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – May 14, 2009
Want to get top dollar when you sell your home? Listen to what professional appraisers say. Their job is to determine the true market value of homes so they know what makes a property sell for the greatest amount and can tell you how to best ready your home for market now and later.
Five Ways to Wow Buyers
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – March 13, 2009
These days, tax credits and high housing inventory make it a buyers’ market. If you’re a seller, do not despair. There are a variety of renovations that can help make your home stand out. Many buyers look at numerous homes when shopping for a house; so enhancing your home to make it more memorable is vital and increases the chances of a successful sale
The
Open House Show
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – December 18, 2008
The open house is the original reality show. It invites potential buyers to dream big-time,
in real time, in the very same space they may one day call home. That's some
grand prize.
Pricing Right Sellers' Job No. 1
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - June 9, 2006
It seems during a slowing market, the last person to get the message that the house needs a lower price is the seller.
After all, the seller has the most to lose by "improving" the price and it's a tough decision to let go of a dream of cashing out.
10 Ways To Get Your Price
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - February 17, 2006
When buyers gain more leverage in a housing market, sellers must think out of the box to entice buyers to their homes, then to lock in their asking price.
Below are 10 ways to get your home sold and, if not at your price, at least a little closer than what you might have gotten otherwise.
The Bath: Enjoy It Before You Sell It
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - April 28, 2006
Friends of mine decided to sell their townhouse a while back and immediately knew what they had to do to demand top dollar, if not, multiple contracts: get the house in shape.
A couple of weeks, two contractors and $10,000-plus later, they had new carpet; new kitchen appliances with white flooring; new paint throughout (including the demolition of a mirrored wall); power-washed/stained deck; and a few plumbing issues taken care of.
Sellers Face Contingent Dilemma
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - June 30, 2006
Contingencies in contracts will always exist.
It is a rare thing to find a written contract which satisfies both parties right up front without a contingency.
Home Selling Exclusions: A Great Benefit for Homeowners
by Benny L. Kass
Realty Times - January 30, 2006
If you have recently sold your house at a significant profit, and if you have not been keeping up with the tax laws, you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you are married, if you meet the legal requirements described below, you can exclude up to $500,000 of the profit you have made.
If you are not married, or file a separate tax return, the exclusion is reduced down to $250,000 of profit.
10 Ways To Make Your Home More Salable
by Peter G. Miller
Realty Times - March 21, 2006
There's little doubt that the real estate marketplace is now in transition.
Sale volume has begun to weaken and in many markets the days of quick sales and multiple offers are going or gone.
Pricing as Much Art as Science
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - March 17, 2006
When shopping for a new home, I've heard many a buyer say, shaking their heads, "What were these people thinking?"
Unless the agent has previewed the house and eliminated the "dogs," a buyer can spend a whole day looking at such a wide range of homes that it becomes impossible to see all the inventory in their price range.
Appealing to Eyes and Ears of Buyers
by Jim Adair
Realty Times - March 9, 2006
One of the main reasons I wanted to sell my last house was because of the smell.
It was an old semi-detached home, and our neighbors had a basement kitchen where they did a lot of cooking.
The gourmet food they cooked may have smelled great to them, but the odors that leaked and lingered into our house were not pleasant for us.
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Articles for Pennsylvania Home Buyers
Investor
Report: Gorilla Housing
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – June 4, 2009
An appraisal of a home is always supposed to be a fair, impartial and
professional evaluation of a property's true value and not under pressure from
special interests. The risk-management tool is designed to assure the owner
gets a fair price, the buyer pays the right price and the lender's risk in
making the loan is commensurate with the property's true value.
Investor
Report: Gorilla Housing
by Kenneth R. Harney
Realty Times – May 28, 2009
The vast majority of foreclosure auction investors pick up one to a handful of
units a year at most, then either rent them out or fix them up for eventual
resale. Typically they also troll for distress situations, pre-foreclosures and
"ugly" houses. But John Helmick, CEO of fast-growing Gorilla Capital
in Eugene, Oregon, takes a very different, high-volume
approach that can be summarized in five points.
Housing
Most Affordable: May be Time to Move from Renting to Owning
by Phoebe Chongchua
Realty Times – April 10, 2009
Falling housing prices, historically low interest rates, and tax credits are
creating an enticing environment for renters to convert to homeowners.
New
Tax Breaks on the House
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times – Mach 5, 2009
Talk about tax shelters. Your home likely provides more tax relief than any
other acquisition, thanks, in part, to new federal laws designed to ease
financial suffering in the recessionary economy. Building on a host of existing tax benefits
for homeowners, new breaks help you save money on buying a home, owning a home
and selling a home.
Tips to Avoid the "Bad Apples" of Real Estate
by Carla L. Davis
Realty Times - July 13, 2006
Real estate agents can be your strongest allies in the biggest financial transaction of your life.
How do you make sure to avoid any "bad apples?"
Practical Things to Remember When Home Shopping
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - May 26, 2006
Most folks are always looking for the ever-elusive "dream home."
Not too long after settling into a new dwelling, many residents begin to pick apart the house they just rented or bought.
Ten Ways To Accelerate Your Mortgage Application
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times - January 23, 2006
The Feds are out to corral lenders they say are making too many risky loans and the recent bridle on rising mortgage rates likely will only temporarily reign in the trend of higher mortgage interest rates.
You may have some time yet before lenders withdraw some risky loans or tighten underwriting rules, but not much.
Meanwhile, mortgage rates can and do turn on a dime -- and that can cost you.
Capital Gains Tax Relief Refresher Course
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times - December 25, 2005
Still confused about capital gains tax relief?
Welcome to the club. When the 105th U.S. Congress passed H.R. 2014, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, tax preparers jokingly referred to the complex measure as the "Tax Preparers Full Employment Act."
Top 10 Reasons Loan Applications Are Rejected
by Broderick Perkins
Realty Times - August 19, 2005
As interest rates rise and rising housing costs swells lenders' portfolios with riskier loans, lenders will tighten underwriting rules making it tougher to buy a home. Still -- in hot markets and in cool ones -- the fundamentals apply.
'Good Deal' Matter of Interpretation
by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times - February 10, 2006
Everybody's looking for a good deal.
Sellers want the highest price possible and buyers want to buy a house below asking price.
They both want the same thing -- a good deal.
Following years of a sellers market, many consumers are facing a more normalized market across the country.
Particularly, in large metropolitan markets, the normalizing of the market has created a wait and see attitude on purchasing or selling real estate.
FHA Finalizes "Anti-flipping Fraud" Rules
by Kenneth R. Harney
Realty Times - June 12, 2006
Real estate flippers got a new set of marching orders last week -- at least those flippers who want to use FHA mortgage financing.
The Federal Housing Administration issued long-awaited final regulations on property flips last Wednesday.
The rules take effect nationwide July 7.