Sitemap

Try the Wolfe Family Christmas Tree Cookies or Spritz Cookies!

Just what in the world is a “Boomerang Buyer”?  I wondered the same thing until I recently read an article provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.  “Boomerang Buyers” are those who previously allowed their home to fall into foreclosure but are ready to re-enter the housing market.  Nearly 80% of consumers who lost their homes during the financial crisis are interested in buying again and 41% say their income say their income is higher than when they first purchased the property.  The “Boomerang Buyers” say their debt obligations have lessened and that they are willing to invest more into the purchase of a new property than they were in the past - - over 50% indicating that they would make a down payment of 10% or more as part of their next home purchase.

…is always under construction”.  This is another adage from my favorite baseball manager, Baltimore Orioles skipper Buck Showalter.  So, what does it mean?  Well, I think it speaks to the need to adapt and adjust to new and changing trends within your business or industry.

2020 was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. We all spent a LOT of time at home, and 2021 is starting off with more of the same. If you’re like us, your new year’s resolutions are usually thrown out the window by January 4, but this year we have some tips that don’t involve cutting out […]

We’ve compiled some ideas for more meaningful gifts that won’t break the bank or get thrown in the back of your friends’ and family’s closets.

Will this year’s housing situation be quite the crazy year we had last year? It’s looking like it’s going to be similar. It’s still a competitive seller’s market as demand, especially with first-time home buyers, will exceed inventory. We’re expecting home sales to be on the rise, but with that, interest rates and home prices will also go up.

Paint companies and Interior Design Experts have named their picks for 2023, and some of them might work in your space!

One of the most common questions real estate agents hear is “what do we need to do to get our home ready to sell”? Here are some basic guidelines that cost next to nothing.

September is a wonderful time to catch up on those homeowner’s chores you’ve been putting off.

Like buying a fridge or mattress when the savings are the biggest. The lazy days of summer officially kick off Memorial Day weekend. Giving your home a little extra love this month can save you time and money.

The market can be tough right now if you’re trying to buy a home. But before you do so, you might want to consider a few things...

As the weather heats up, so has the real estate market. Many industry professionals will claim they haven’t seen a market like this since pre-recession years.

Winter can be tough time to keep your home feeling bright and upbeat.

We’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you de-stress and focus on the real reason for the season.

While the wind is whistling outside, there’s plenty to do in your home to keep it in tip-top shape! In Central Pennsylvania, the winters get cold and those heating bills can add up, so many of these tips can help you reduce heating costs or at least save you some money on future home repairs.

The Real Estate world, as we have come to know it here in our geographic area, will undergo a seismic shift by the end of this very month. “Bright” MLS is here. As most consumers know, Multiple Listing Services, commonly referred to as MLS, are the organized “pool” of residential listings which Brokers make available for reciprocal privileges among other Brokers and Agents. Transactions in which the listing broker’s listing is sold by a broker or salesperson from another real estate company are called “Co-Brokered Transactions”.

Is the thought of a new year making you want to freshen up your space? New décor, new furniture and maybe even new paint? Then you may want to consider what seems to be the color theme for 2022: Green!

On January 2nd, 1986 I opened a real estate office in Carlisle. I was twenty five years old, less than four years removed from Dickinson College, and had just obtained my Broker’s License a few weeks before. I borrowed $7,500, rented a small portion of the office building that I now own and fully occupy, and hired my own mother for her “free secretarial services.” We had one salesperson - - just out of Millersville University and with no experience whatsoever.

There is an old adage that says “All politics are local.” Well, in many ways, the same holds true for Real Estate. All Real Estate is local. Each month, I hope to bring you some insight into local trends within the Real Estate market. In addition, I hope to have the opportunity to provide some explanation and dispel some misconceptions about Real Estate related items and issues. I frequently refer to the “local market” as the “micro-market”. The market to which I refer is that of the Greater Carlisle Area - - much the same footprint as The Cumberland Valley Business Journal itself. In many subtle and even not too subtle ways, the Carlisle market differs from the East Shore and West Shore markets as well as those of our nearby friends in York, Adams and Perry counties.

There is no such thing as a “Licensed Realtor”.   I have mentioned this before but it is my pet peeve. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issues two classifications of Real Estate Licenses.  They are Salesperson (the vast majority of practitioners) and Broker.

The Homesnap App puts the convenience of house shopping right at your fingertips. It keeps you informed in real time of new listings, price changes or any other market activity you want to know about.

Many people interchange the terms “Appraised” and “Assessed”. While there are similarities to these valuations, there are also very distinct differences. “Appraisal” is a “valuation of property by the estimate of an authorized person”. Real estate appraisals are conducted by licensed and certified real estate appraisers. Real estate appraisers are either Certified Residential or Certified General Appraisers. Federal guidelines outline appraisal process and technique. The overriding guideline is known as USPAP – Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

Overall, expect housing market activity to continue to slow through the second half of 2022 and into early 2023, with adjustments to sales and price growth putting market conditions more in line with pre-COVID trends.

With last week’s news that Warren Buffet has acquired the Prudential Home Sale Services Group, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at who is doing business in Carlisle and where are they really from? Buffett purchased the Prudential Home Sale Services Group which is currently headquartered in Lancaster and is the Mid-State’s largest residential Broker business.  The name will change in June to Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and, I suppose, they will maintain a branch office on Walnut Bottom Road here in Carlisle.  After June, I suspect you would need to call Warren Buffet if you had a problem with their office or their agents.

The Central Penn Business Journal is an absolute must read for business people and professionals.  In addition to its weekly newspaper-like publication, it releases several supplemental publications throughout the year.  What follows are facts reported in the Daulphin/Cumberland Business Report for 2014.

Regardless of what direction you go, we hope some of these ideas help you bring some happiness into your living space.

When spring comes, everyone gets a new pep in their step. You break out some new clothes, change your décor, plan your garden… so get to work on these 8 household chores to get your whole home feeling ready for the change of seasons.

1. Drain and disconnect your hoses and outdoor faucets to keep from getting frozen pipes. So easy but people often forget this important step. 2. Dust snow off of trees to avoid a buildup of heavy precipitation that could possibly down branches and wreak havoc on your property. 3. Create Gift- wrapping central by storing paper, boxes, ribbons and more in an easy to access location. A rolling cart is great for this and can be put away when company comes over. 4. Invest in an extra coat rack or boot mat to prepare for the overabundance of winter jackets, wet shoes and potential mud. This will save time cleaning floors and gathering coats in a rush. 5. Check shovels and window scrapers and be sure you’re ready to handle the possible winter storms. Store salt, extra batteries for flashlights and even propane for extra heaters in case you need them.

Eighty percent (or more, depending on the age group) of shoppers research online before making a purchase and that usually includes home buyers as well. We can pull up a listing of homes for sale in a matter of seconds, so, in this modern day, everything-at-your-fingertips way of life, why do we still need Realtors?

When it comes to real estate, “EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT”.  Trust me on this one. I do a great deal of industry related reading and research.  For the most part, this is to keep me current with trends in the industry and to assure that my company is complying with all the appropriate rules and regulations.  Seldom, however, do I bother to read about what the “experts” think.

In several of my previous blogs, I have noted that more and more young Americans are either moving back home or renting.  For the most part, I am addressing young adults 25 to 34 years in age.  Multi-generational households are also on the rise. Over the years, I have never encouraged our Buyer clients to be “house poor”.  I have always said that there is more to life than making house payments and no one should stretch themselves too thin - - although many choose to do that on their own!

If you have followed my blogs over the past several years, you know that I have frequently pointed out the lack of activity from entry level or first time buyers. In essence, I have attributed this to three factors. First, many of these younger buyers are loaded with student debt. Second, many are under employed or not working in the field for which they trained or studied. Finally, many of them just fail to see the value in home ownership - - having paid attention to the economic downturn and housing crisis the 2008-2012 period.

If you’re like many Americans, you may have started or expanded your home garden recently, and there are a lot more hobby gardeners like you this year if you look at statistics.

January usually brings the desire to clean-out, put-away and freshen-up your life. You can simplify the easy way by doing just a few small tasks at a time and following some basic steps. From taking the time to get rid of extra trash, going through each room and each drawer one at a time, you’ll find you just have extra “stuff”.

If the love you once had for your hardwood floors has lost its luster, it may be time to follow the maintenance routine recommended by the National Wood Flooring Association.

If you are a prospective home buyer who has been struggling to find a house in this intensely seller-sided market, good news is on the way.

I would like to take this opportunity again to thank our many friends and clients for making 2014 one of our best years ever.  We are off to a very good start and I am extremely optimistic about 2015 as well.

We’ve compiled a list of some ways to help you cut back so you can enjoy the warm weather with a little less added cost (and who doesn’t need that right now?).

Last month, I talked about appraisers and appraisals. In this blog, I will touch briefly on the “perception difference” between appraisers and property owners as well as some DO’S and DON’TS when preparing your house for its sale and appraisal. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, the average appraisal last month was only 1.15% lower than the expectation of the homeowner - - or, in many cases, the sale price established in the pending sale contract. PAR indicates that this is the fourth consecutive month where the gap between the appraisal and the expectation has decreased.

Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shake well before using.

You may see the media reporting a market decline, but what we see is the housing market stabilizing or returning to more “normal” conditions. This is good news after two years of craziness.

If you know me at all, you know that I am an avid Baltimore Orioles baseball fan.  Have been since I attended my first game in 1968.  I attend Spring training in Sarasota,  Florida, split an Oriole season ticket package, and pretty much plan my evening and weekends around the televised games.

A number of years ago, I earned an industry designation called CRS (Certified Residential Specialist). At the time, only between 2-4% of all licensed real estate practitioners in the Country held the designation. I believe that that percentage is now in the 10-12% range, but this group still generally represents among the most successful residential Brokers and agents in the business.

I still read the newspaper every day.  A recent national survey indicated less than 13% of Americans still read the newspaper - - but I do.  It is the very best way to keep up on local news. While I am not a voracious reader by any stretch, I also read business and trade publications religiously.  Everything that I read lately, by all sorts of so called “experts”, is really just what I would refer to as a “mixed bag”.

Lou Gehrig ’s disease (ALS) is a terrible, terrible disease.  The recent national effort to draw awareness and funding is to be lauded. The ALS Association, the organization behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, supports embryonic stem cell research.  While the Catholic Church supports stem cell research, it does not condone stem cell research which frequently involves embryos harvested from the death of an aborted fetus.  For me, and likely many others, this has presented a difficult moral dilemma.

There is an old adage that says the secret to real estate success is “location, location, location”. I would argue that a better axiom might be “negotiation, negotiation, negotiation”.

According to the US Census Bureau, nearly 36 million Americans moved in 2013.  This is approximately 12% of all Americans - - a number similar to the year 2012. As reported in a prior blog, rentals continue to be a large percentage of all relocations.  Nearly 25% of renters relocated in 2013 while only 5.1% of homeowners moved.

This will likely be my last blog for 2014.  Once again, we have been very blessed with a quite profitable 2014 - - the best year that we have enjoyed since 2006.  I thought I would end the year just with some quick bullet points and a quick comment on each.

Much has been written about Millennials - - the group of young adults born between 1981 and 1997 who have now surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation. Millennials are affecting the national economy in a big way. When it comes to real estate, Millennials have been slow to use their numbers to influence the housing market. In fact, Millennials have not, until recently, been entering the housing market in any significant way. I have attributed this in the past to four specific reasons.

Applying for a mortgage and getting approved for your dream home is not easy task. It can be hard to sleep, worrying whether you got the right paperwork together, whether you’re working with the right lender and if your savings account is going to hold up under the strain of down payments and closing costs. But if you avoid these 6 mistakes, you’re sure to make the process a little less stressful.

One of the most noticeable changes in the Real Estate Industry has been the proliferation of forms and standard agreements and addenda over the years. When I entered the real estate business, back in 1982, we could have listed your house with a one sided, 8 ½” x 11” document and sold it using a two sided, 8 ½” x 11” document. My clients frequently laugh when I share this story.

As you change your décor from the brightly colored summer blooms to the more muted tones of Mums and Pumpkins, you’ll want to squeeze these October Home Chores into the next few weekends of fun.

How do you feel about Matte Black finishes and kitchens with more color? Speaking of kitchens, would you be willing to scrap that big island for a more family -friendly dining table? Trough and bucket sinks are on the rise in bathrooms and vintage lighting is growing in popularity.

To say this is a competitive home buyer’s market would be an understatement. And just like with everything else people purchase, when demand goes up, supply can go down. And when you really want or need a new home, the high stakes can get you to impulsively make decisions you might not usually make.

Home buyers are swapping larger homes for homes that are better built or that are designed with more quality features in mind.

The Real Estate micro-market in which I primarily work, as does my office, is the Greater Carlisle Area.  This is basically the same area encompassed by the Greater Carlisle Chamber of Commerce and is recognized in the Bright Multiple Listing Service as Area 7.

It is commonly acknowledged that buying or selling a home is, for most people, the largest financial transaction that they will likely encounter in their lifetime. As such, it is only reasonable to expect that you will experience a wide range of emotions when going through the transaction process itself.

Each year, dozens and dozens of individuals and families relocate into the Greater Carlisle Area. Although many of these families are affiliated with the United States Army War College, just as many others are transferees who are newly employed due to the nice diversification of businesses, industries and institutions that support our strong local economy.

We’ve compiled a list of the perfect summer-to-fall inspired to-dos for your home to encourage warm feelings and a cozy atmosphere.

Do you think we should take the house off the market? Should we wait until spring to put our house on the market? Do houses sell over the holidays? These are all questions which I am frequently asked. I am not sure there is a right or wrong answer to any of them, but I have observed some patterns over my many years as a Real Estate Broker.

Whether you’re thinking of sprucing up your house to sell or simply want to bring your kitchen into the current decade, here are some ideas to make improvements without breaking the bank.

What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, housing values plummeted, and homes were repossessed in unprecedented numbers because of the economic recession. Today, a new housing crisis has developed with home buyers shut out of the market because of low inventory and sky-high prices. NPR reports that new home construction nationwide is at its slowest pace since the 1980s.

For several years now, the WHOLE HOUSE INSPECTION (i.e. Home Inspection) has become pretty much a standard condition for all Agreements of Sale for residential real estate. In theory, this is a good thing. The Home Inspection process was designed to inform the Buyer of any legitimate issues with the home that might require repairs, improvements, or even replacement. Although the Seller is obligated to make good faith acknowledgements in the Seller Property Disclosure Statement, there are often deficiencies within the home about which even the homeowner is unaware.

The weather is warming and the sun is finally (most days) shining, which means it’s time to think about your home’s spring maintenance needs. It’s also a good time to work on some larger projects now that there is more daylight and the threat of winter weather is behind us.

Spring is the perfect time to get these tasks done, regardless of whether you’re looking to sell for top dollar or save yourself money in the long run.

We’re sharing some tips that you can do now to maintain your home’s integrity and beauty as well as create an enjoyable living space for your family as you tend to migrate outside this time of year.

In order to get top dollar for your home, you don’t necessarily want the buyer to feel like they are inheriting years of neglected yard work.

Maintaining your home’s integrity and structure will save you money in the long run. Here are 5 steps you can take in June to do just that!

Whether you’re buying, selling or a current home owner, knowing how to spot, prevent and treat termites is very important. All structures are susceptible to these wood destroyers but the most vulnerable are homes with wood to ground contact and buried siding.

As I pen my last letter for the Cumberland Valley Business Journal, I reflect upon what a great honor it was to be asked to contribute my thoughts and opinions over the last year. While my job was to provide information and insight regarding local real estate, the scope of my thoughts are so much more. In a few weeks, many of us will be making resolutions for the New Year.  One of my resolutions is to be more thankful for the privilege and opportunity of living in the community that I call the Greater Carlisle Area.

The market is hot! I mean HOT! Honestly, it is the most active local real estate market that I have observed in more than ten years. Still, there are Sellers who have difficulty finding a Buyer for their property. In a market like this, the only reasons for this are self- inflicted. The top reasons that Sellers are unable to sell their home are the following: 1. Over pricing the home. 2. Overlooking repairs. 3. Failing to declutter and depersonalize the home. 4. Expectations which are too high and a patience level which is too low.

A 2014 study by the National Association of Realtors confirms that Agent-assisted home sales typically are 13% higher than For Sale by Owner sales (FSBOs). This is really impressive! Most folks choose the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route to “save” the commission. While commissions are negotiable, they generally range in the 5-6% range. Obviously, the use of a Realtor MORE than covers the cost - - by a wide margin, actually.

We are coming out of the most prolonged and intensely heated seller’s market that I have observed in my 40 years in the real estate business. 

As we find ourselves squarely into the traditional busy spring market, I thought I would pass along some “tid-bits” that I have taken from the numerous trade publications that I review frequently.  For the most part, it remains good news: Real Estate again named best long term investment. That is according to a recent Gallup Survey where respondents chose real estate ahead of stocks, gold, savings accounts, CD’s or bonds as the best long term investment. Real Estate also took the top spot last year.

One thing has become absolutely clear to me these past few years as we recover from the “post-bubble” downturn. Houses that are outdated or have not been kept updated are simply tough to sell. Irrespective of curb appeal, location, neighborhood and even price - - homes that are perceived by the Buyers to need “too much work” simply experience more days on market than their competitors. Even with inventory levels declining and more buyers being available to purchase homes, these outdated properties tend to sit for long periods of time. As a reluctant homeowner myself, I have finally acknowledged this fact of life and agreed with my wife that it is it time to update our 1990 home.

APPRAISER. This is probable the most misused, misunderstood and abused term in the real estate world. So, let’s set the record straight. I have mentioned many times before that there are two types of Real Estate Licensees in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - - Licensed Salesperson and Licensed Broker. Licensed sales persons cannot perform appraisals and only a small handful of Brokers are permitted to do appraisals on a limited scope. Remember, too, that the term “Realtor” deals with the trade organization that advocates for Real Estate Licensees and has nothing whatsoever to do with one’s license status.

By now, you have probably heard about TRID - - the big real estate change which occurred on October 3rd. The “TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure” was designed and implemented by the federal government in yet another over reaching attempt to “protect” consumers. TILA stands for “Truth in Lending Act” and RESPA stands for “Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act”. These two federal lending requirements are to be “Integrated” into a “Disclosure” that provides very firm rules as to the precision and advance notice to which lenders must adhere in providing information to borrowers.