Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties Real Estate. Tips for home buyers, home sellers by Gita Bantwal,Realtor at ReMax Centre Realtors.

If you are looking to buy a condo in Bucks County there are great buys out there.

Based on information in multiple listing there are 104 two bedroom condos available in Bucks county priced under $250,000.

There are 2 in Bedminster, 5 in Bensalem,8 in Bristol, 5 in Doylestown,9 in lower Makefield township.

This is a Buyer's market. This is a great time to buy as there are bargains and you may find some homes priced below market.

Whether  you are looking to buy as a personal residence or as an investment I can guide you.

Use an Accredired Buyer's Representative to help you find your next home.

Look up all available home at www.gitabantwal.com

The market may be slow but buyers who look at homes during the holiday season are serious buyers. Why else would someone look at homes instead of going  holiday shopping, wrapping gifts or  baking  . 

I love to host an open house at this time if the house is decorated for the holidays. The sellers can go shopping to the mall for a few hours during the open house.

I like to have holiday cookies for people who attend the open house and also have some small gift items from the dollar store with my card attached.   Buyers will take the gift item and not leave it behind at the next open house . Walgreens usually has some great items during the holidays.Last year I bought pot Xmas pot holders at 3 for a dollar.  The idea is to give them something that has some shelf life.

I would appreciate any other tips you might have for an open house at this time.

If you know anyone moving to Philadelphia , Bucks and Montgomery counties  I would appreciate your referrals.

I love this time of the year as there are good sales every where. I spend an hour on Sundays and look at all the circulars and decide what gifts I should buy. I do not get time to go to some of the sales so I make a new list the following week and so on until December 24th. I  enjoy giving gifts more than receiving gifts .

Sometimes you forget what you gave someone and may give  a similar  item to them a few years later. This year I have decided to keep a list of what I give so I can remember. I once complimented a friend for a scarf she wore , and she said I had given it to her. 

Sometimes you receive items that you do not need , can not use or it does not fit. What do you do with it if you do not have a receipt.? I am a very sentimental person and keep items given by old relatives or people I may not meet again for a long time . I have a closet full of such items that I do not want to get rid off.

Sometimes I receive items that do not have any sentimental value and I have been guilty of regifting on a couple of occasions. They were the wrong size and would fit someone else and it saved me the time of going to the store .I felt guilty and was wondering what others do with items they can not use.

If you are still renting, you might want to go to your accountant and find out how home ownership will help you save taxes.

There are many advantages to home ownership but the most significant one is that a homeowner can deduct certain expenses of home ownership.

For most people the cost of home ownership are lower than out of pocket costs if figured out on a after tax basis. There are limits and you should seek professional help  but a certain amount of interest paid on the mortgage and real estate taxes are deductible. In my experience most buyers find out it is cheaper to own that to rent when they consider the tax advantages of owning. The tax benefits extend to vacation homes as well but there are rules about renting.Speaking to an accountant.

If you would like to buy a home in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties please call me any time.Look up available homes  for sale at www.gitabantwal.com  register to be notifeid by email if new listings come up.

I can also help you find vacation homes .

Happy Thanks Giving to all Active Rain members.

I was looking at sales circulars for the coming week and my thought turned to Black Friday. I do hope the economy has improved enough and retailers have a great week end.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a special listing price on Black Friday ? Some people spend so much  on unnecessary things , that it might be enough  for a down payment on a house. The home buyers could put  a copy of the agreement of sale in each stocking if the house has not yet settled by Christmas. This would be one gift for the whole family . It will last for ever. They will have years of enjoyment .

If the price would go up again after Black friday, we may be able to get some buyers who are sitting on the fence. It is too late for this year. But I am going to think of it next year.  It might make a difference between red ink and black ink in my account book .

Happy thanks Giving.

Settlement day is the day buyers and sellers look forward to. My clients often ask how long it will take at settlement table.

The answer is ;  in a perfect world it takes about 30 to 45 minutes  in our area. I usually ask the buyers to come first as they have to sign many more papers than the sellers. Sometimes it may take several hours or all day or may be postponed to another day.

From my experience in real estate I have made a list  of  ten things ( not in any particular order ) that can cause delay.

1. Buyers forget to get home insurance. We have to look for a company that will insure the property. I keep on reminding buyers to get insurance so I have not had this problem.

2.Buyers or sellers forget to bring picture ID or in case of immigrants-  their green card. I give buyers a check list and call them the previous day to remind them.

3.The funds are not wired in time.This is a problem when the bank is on the west coast and we have a morning settlement. I call the loan officer the previous day and try but things are not in their control.

4.Seller did not take care of repairs as agreed after inspections or appraisal. I call the listing agent and ask for receipts in advance. If I am the listing agent I remind the sellers and follow up till it is done.

5. Buyers or sellers do not agree with the HUD 1 . This is the most common problem.I usually try to get a preliminary HUD 1 the day before settlement , and go over it with my clients. Sometimes we do not receive it the previous day.

6.Buyers do not come with enough in Certified funds. I always request them to bring a check book , in case there is something we overlooked.

7. Sometimes there is a delay if we have to call in a final water reading or call the Home Owner's association for charges.The seller may have paid the dues but the resale certificate may not account for it.

8.In rare cases one of the sellers may not show up . you would need legal help in such instances.

9.Mortgage papers may not be ready .

10. There may be a new problem with the house . This can be a big problem. The buyer may want estimates to fix it. or may want to postpone settlement till it is fixed. I once had a water heater leaking on settlement day. The seller had home warranty, and even agreed to escrow funds for replacement  but buyers refused to settle till it was replaced. American Home Shield could not send anyone till later and settlement took place the following day.

Fall is a beautiful time of year. The leaves change color and it is cool and pleasant. It does not last long and before we know it winter will be  here.  We have to prepare for winter  weather and while we  look forward to spring. If this is the first year in your new home, here are some tips for fall .

Here is my check list of chores  for fall.

1. Clean out gutters. They may be clogged with leaves.

2.Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors . Replace batteries.

3.Get heater serviced and change filters.

4. Rake leaves. Once you get the first snow fall it will be difficult.

5.Plant spring bulbs.

6.Check firepalce and chimney. have chimney cleaned if needed.

7.Check all windows and doors for drafts.

8.Drain outside faucets.

9.bring in the house plants that were growing outside.

10. Buy a shovel or snow blower .

Enjoy your new home.

If you would like to know what your home is worth , go to my web site www.gitabantwal.com for free online market evaluation if you live in Philadelphia and  suburbs.

The following is based on information in multiple listing service Trend. It does not include homes not listed in mls, sale by owners and some new construction.

There are 14 homes pending settlement in Buckingham township.These have been on the market for an average of 62 days and range in price from $140,000 to $869,900. We do not have the sale price as they have not yet settled.

In october 2007, 23 homes settled in Buckingham and they were on the market for an average of 79 days ( time from date listed to date agreement of sale fully executed, and they ranged in price from $240,000 to $870,000.

This is subject to errors and omissions and is not to be construed as an appraisal.

If you would like to receive monthly market updates, online market analysis or list of homes for sale visit www.gitabantawal.com or email me at gita01@aol.com

Based on information in multiple listing service Trend , there are 19 homes pending settlement in Warrington .They have been on the market for an average of 66 days. The lowest price is listing price of $185,000 and highest price is $619,000. The average list price is $383,932.

36 homes settled in October 2007.

They were on the market for an average of 69 days and range in price from $190,000 to $659,000. The average price is $386,616.

This does not include homes not listed in Trend . The above information is deemed to be accurate and not guaranteed and is not to be considered as an appraisal and is subject to errors and omissions.

If you would like to see available homes in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties visit www.gitabantwal.com.

If you would like to receive monthly reports for any township in the area email me  gita01@aol.com or subscribe to my blog.

Based on information in multiple listing Trend, there are 8 homes pending settlement in Warwick township. These have been on the market for an average of 60 days. The highest listed price is 559,900 and lowest price is $229,900.

There were 17 homes that settled in October 2007, and these were on the market for an average of 55 days.The highest price was $630,000 and lowest price was $220,000 for a townhouse in Stover Mill.

This information is deemed to be accurate but not guaranteed and is subject to errors and omissions.It does not include homes not listed in multiple listing service.

If you would like to receive my monthly market reports for warwick township, subscribe to my blog or email me at gita01@aol.com

If you are thinking of buying or selling a house in Bucks , Montgomery or Philadelphia counties and would like to look up available listings go to www.gitabantwal.com .