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

When homes were selling quickly it was easy working with buyers and sellers all over the place. buyers used to make up their minds quickly. These days they have so many choices that they take a long time making up their minds.  With the price of gas being over 3.50 a gallon, I have decided to refer buyers who want to look at homes beyond the 3 counties that I service.

My office and home are in Central Bucks County so I can cover Bucks County, Most of Montgomery county and North East Philadelphia.

A past client of mine mentioned that her son may sell his house in Chester County. I have decided to refer the seller . they will be also be  looking to buy another house in the area. I hope I am doing the right thing.

Active Rain is the best resource available and I can just post the referral. I am going to try to form a referral network with agents in neighboring counties as well as in Delaware and New Jersey.

I had a potential referral in Delaware and received 3 offers from  agents. The buyers have put everything on hold so I could not refer to them but when the buyer is ready I will call one of the agents.

Bucks County Senior Games will be held May 27 through June 6 at various locations in Bucks County.  

Call 215 348-0510 or 215-489-5132 or visit www.buckscounty.org/aaa.htm

Participants must complete entry forms and mail it along with appropriate fees. 

Billiards,  Bowling,  Horseshoes, Shuffleboard, Table Tennis, Badminton, Golf, Swimming, Track and Field, Darts, Long Jump are some of the events.

There will be an award luncheon on June 6 and medallions will be awarded to winners.

If you are a Senior and looking to buy or sell a home in Bucks County call a Seniors Real Estate Specialist.

i hold the SRES designation and can help you.

Gita Bantwal 215-343-8200x 124 or direct 215-343-8206

This is a nice 3 bedroom home in Warwick township Bucks County.

There was a lot of interest and it sold quickly. It was marketed well.

If you are thinking of selling your home in the next 120 days call Gita Bantwal at ReMax Centre Realtors for a free Market evaluation and a Free Home Sellers Handbook. 215-343-8206.

Visit my web site and look up all available listings in Philadelphia, Bucks or Montgomery counties.

Call 215-343-8200 x 124 or 215-343-8206. or email gita01@aol.com

I love to work with first time buyers. Some of them may not know what they are looking for in a house. They just know they do not want to rent any more and they will tell you what they are comfortable paying per month.

I pre qualify buyers and tell them that even if they may qualify for more , they should decide what they are comfortable paying and joke with them that they may still want to go to McDonalds sometimes.

I have them describe their dream house and then tell them to have a must have list and a  "would be nice to have "  wish list.

Based on talking to many buyers I have made the following observation for my market. Top five things a first time buyer wishes for in a house are :

Basement is the most important.

A powder room comes in second.

School district comes in third

Garage comes in fourth

Convenient to work comes in fifth.

Among the Nice to have items are a fireplace, a full bath in master bedroom, finished basement, deck or patio and  central air.

I have a great listing with nice upgrades but every one who comes to the open house has been saying they want a basement. I had two open houses and about 15 people. I am looking for someone who likes the other features of the house.

The program is sponsored by the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership , A Partnership of 7 hospitals in Bucks County,Bucks County Health Department and Bucks County Medical Society.

I read a flyer about it and thought of sharing the information. The number to call is  800-347-6803.

The program provides basic dental care for eligible children who reside in Bucks County and qualify under the program's income eligibilty standards.

For details call the toll free number .

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ) offers information and tools for people on Medicare and also information  that can help people in particular situations . The agency provides information and help with questions regarding services and care.

Federal resources : Toll Free Helpline 1800-MEDICARE ) 1-800-633-4227

The representatives answer questions about Medicare plans and billing and claims.

Medicare website  www.medicare.gov

There is a wealth of information on this site. It offers a Medicare Personal Plan Finder which  helps to compare health plan choices and  out of pocket expenses among health insurance options . It provides information on selecting a nursing home , financial assistance programs, discounted prescription drug programs and more.

Besides Federal Resources , there are  State Resources that you can look up.

If you are looking for a Real estate Agent to help you down size call a Seniors Real Estate Agent.
I hold the SRES designation Seniors Real Estate Specialist and can refer you to an agent with SRES designation anywhere in the country.

If you are looking to move in Bucks, Montgomery or Philadelphia County I can sell your home and help you in buyin a house .

Gita Bantwal ReMax Centre Realtors 215-343-8200x 124 or direct 215-343-8206 direct

In the last few weeks I have heard from a few agents that their buyer lost out on a house .

One was an agent who brought an offer on a listing of mine. Her buyers had made an offer on another house and someone had made a better offer.

I listed a single house under 300k and received  two offers.

I heard the same thing from some other agents in my office.

The one thing in common with these offers was that the homes were priced under $300,000.

It may be different in other price ranges. The homes were in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties. This is good incentive to try to list homes in this price range .

If you are looking to sell your house in Philadelphia, Bucks or Montgomery Counties and would like a free market evaluation of your home call Gita Bantwal at reMax Centre Reltors 215-343-8200x 124 or direct 215-343-8206.

Look up all available listings at www.gitabantwal.com

When : Sunday July 27

Time : 5 pm   Treasure Hunt

       7 pm     Open Mic night for individual singers, no bands, and 2 song limit

       8 pm     Karoake.

Where:         Field at Community Park

                  Ages 13 to 18 yrs old.

A. H. Cornell and sons are sponsoring this event. Hosted by Warwick township as part of its  year long 275th yearlong anniversary celebration .

Contact Warwick Townships parks and recreation department for more information . Call 215 343-6100 .

Pre- registration is required for Treasure Hunt and open mic.

There are several Mobile home parks in Bucks County.

I looked up the multiple listing this morning to see what is available.

There are 27 mobile  homes priced under $150,000.there is a 2 BR home in Penn Valley Mobile home park for $25,000 in Feasterville.

There is a 3 BR home in  Colonial heritage in Doylestown for $49,900.

Pennwood Crossing Morrisville has a mobile home for $59,900

Quiet Acres Sellersville has a 2 BR for $149,900.

Melody lakes in Quakertown has a home for $26,900.

Some of the other parks are Richland Meadows,Valley View, Eastern dawn MHP, Little Farm trailer park annd Buckingham Springs.

These are listed with various Real Estate  agencies. This will give you an idea of the  Mobile home parks in Bucks County. If you would like to look up detailed information go to my web site www.gitabantwal.com . I will be glad to email you the info. 

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller with Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan has some great tips for Real estate agents. I had read it last year and thought of reading it again for inspiration.

I realize that one of the most important things we need to succeed in Real  Estate is client leads.

Quoting from the book, " No matter if you are a doctor, lawyer,or entrepreneur, everyone has TWO  jobs - their chosen profession and lead generation. '

The book has tips on building your database and building your business. The systems are mapped out and I hope to do some of the things mentioned in the book.

If you have not read the book and are looking for a Good book for Real Estate Agents, you might want to read it.