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

After trying everything possible to sell the house, I recommended  a Saint Joseph Statue a few months ago. I was worried and did not want to offend the seller, because religion and politics are two topics I stay away from. The seller agreed . Then I went looking for a statue and could not find them anywhere.They were on reorder at my association of realtors. As soon as they were available, I bought 2 and buried them at 2 listings. . I am glad to report that both the houses sold.

I wish I purchased more because I have a listing that is going to be withdrawn tomorrow. Seller has  decided not to sell.

I received a call from a previous client of mine recently asking me how to bury the statue. I was relieved to hear that it was for her daughter who lives in another state. ( I wish she had asked me for a referral when she listed )

I mailed her a copy of the information I received when I had purchased the statues. I have to follow up .  

According to a report released by the Commerce Department, sales of new single family homes were down 6.6% last month . The seasonally adjusted annual rate was 834,000 units. This was the largest drop in 5 months and the decline was more than triple what had been expected, according to a report in the local newspaper, Intelligencer / Record.

It states that the sale of existing homes was also down, dropping by 3.8% , and this was  the slowest pace in 5 years.

In my market I have seen a slight improvement  this week , compared to last few weeks. There have been a few sales pending, and my recent open house had more people than in previous weeks.

Heritage Creek is a wonderful community located in Warwick township. It has a 15,000 sq ft clubhouse with indoor and outdoor pools, whirlpool, party room with dance floor, exercise rooms, sauna, locker rooms, billiard and craft rooms and so much more. There are tennis courts, Bocce courts and a Championship golf course is going to be built near by. There are single homes and KNOX CT Condominiums in the community. 

As of today there are 7 homes listed for sale in the multiple listing. There is a  condo with 1 bedroom , 1 bath and  den listed at $209,900. This is only 3  years old and comes with all appliances. There are 2 more 1 bedroom units each priced at $215,000. There is a 2 bedroom condo for $270,000.This unit has a 1 car garage.

There is a single house , the Jefferson model with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, listed at $414,900. This has a family room, and garage. It is approximately 1714 sq ft according to multiple listing info. There is a 3 Bedrooms,3 baths house for $479,000, and approximately 2200 sq ft.

If you are looking for a large house , you can look at the Franklin model .It has 3 bedrooms, and 3 baths and is priced at $549,900.

One of the above homes is offered for sale by my office. You can look up listings on the internet on Realtor.com .

If you are planning on visiting your family or friends in Philadelphia  this summer, check out www.pennslandingcorp.com  and plan your trip accordingly. There are free programs every weekend  between Memorial Day weekend  and Labor day weekend . There  are 11 different multicultural festivals, fireworks, family entertainment and concerts. All events produced by Penn's Landing Corporation are free  on the Great Plaza at Penns Landing, Philadelphia. If you enjoy music, come on Friday evenings in August for Smooth Jazz Summer Nights Concert series. Philadelphia waterfront comes alive at this time with music, food and celebrations.There is something for every one.

They have an India festival in August every year and this is a good opportunity to listen to Indian music and Indian food is available at reasonable price. They have other ethnic festivals as well on other days. Check out the web site. 

You are required by law to call the utilities before you dig  anywhere including your yard and the street. It is also good for your own safety and safety of your neighbors.

You can call the Pa One call system at 800-242-1776 at least 3 working days before you dig. Pa one call will notify the other utilities like PECO to mark underground electric and gas lines and easements. This is  a free service for residential customers.

It is a Buyer's market and I hope buyers can take advantage of this market. I just looked up the multiple listing service this morning and found 8 single houses in Warminster, Bucks County with a minimum of three bedrooms , priced under $250,000.

There is a Hud foreclosure at $140,000. Information on the Hud house can be looked up on www.Hooksvanholm.com. It has information on how to buy a hud house and how to make an offer.

Buyers can look up www.realtor.com for info on listings in the area.

Real estate taxes are low in Warminster .There is a R2 train that goes from Warminster to Center City and R1 that goes to the International airport. There is a public golf course Five Ponds Golf Course in Warminster and numerous public parks.

In the last few weeks , I have received many calls for rentals. The buyers were looking for a while , and have now decided to wait. They are in a hurry to rent before school reopens. All of a sudden the rental market is heating up. I had two tenants who had given notice that they are moving out and they called me later and said they want to continue to rent.

If you have been trying to sell for several months and can not keep the property vacant or if you do not want to reduce the price any more, you might want to consider renting it out for a year. There are risks involved.The tenant may not pay rent or may ruin the place. You need to check references and credit and job reference. You need a good lease . A good agent can also help.

The last time we had such a market, some of my clients rented it out and they were all fortunate.They got good tenants and prices went up.

You need to also talk to your accountant.

There are many sites that say you can get a free credit report, but there is usually catch. You are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months , from the three credit reporting companies- Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union and there is no catch here.

You can either do this by telephone, mail or through the internet.

The web site is www.AnnualCreditreport.com

or you can call 877-322-8228 or by mail. You will have to download the form from their web site.

There is a lot of good information on this site as well. If there are errors in your report it tells you what you can do.

It is good to know , so that there wont be any surprises, when you look for homes.

Bensalem Country Club

2000 Brown Avenue, Bensalem

215-639-5556

Fox Hollow Golf Club

2020 Trumbauersville Rd,

Quakertown

215--538-1920

Morrisville Golf Farm

860 W Bridge Street

Morrisville

215-295-1337

Somerton Springs Golf Course

53 Bustleton Pike

Feasterville

215-355-1776

Warminster Five Ponds Golf Course

1225 w Street rd

Warminster

215-956-9727

Fairways Golf and Country Club

750 Country Club Lane

Warrington

215-343-9979

Middletown Country Club

420 N Bellevue Street

Langhorne

215-757-6953

Neshaminy Valley Golf Club

Almshouse Rd

Jamison

215-343-6930

Oxford Valley Golf Course

141 Oxford Valley Rd

Fairless Hills

215-945-8644

If you are relocating to the area read Relocating to Bucks County?Look up these resources. http://activerain.com/blogsview/261375/relocating-to-bucks-county

Look up all available homes for sale at www.gitabantwal.com.

Email me if you want a relocation package 

Stover Mill townhomes at Warwick are the best Real Estate value in Bucks County. They are under 30 years old and have large rooms and lots of storage. The low association fees of $175  for three months and Central Bucks School district make these a great buy. As of today there are 8 homes on the market with 3 bedrooms and different floor plans. Prices range from $214,900  for house without a basement  to $245900 for house with finished basement..There is one townhouse available for 219,000 with 3 bedrooms and a partly finished basement.

The development is located close to Bristol road, and easy to get to Warminster train station to take R1 to Center City.