This home has it all. Located in York Suburban School District, this adorable home is ready for a new family! Minutes to York College & York Hospital, this 3 bedroom home offers a large private yard for family gatherings. For more details and photos, check out HOMES.

Located minutes from Maryland, this executive ranch offers a unique floor plan. Spacious rooms, high ceilings, and quality upgrades provide a perfect home for the discriminating buyer. Nestled on a private 1.4 acres, this home provides the perfect sanctuary after a long day at work. EXECUTIVE RANCH

It is a great time to buy luxury real estate. Not only are mortgage rates once again at historic lows, but real estate values are low and inventory is high. It is a buyer’s market, which means it is an exceptionally great time to invest in a larger, nicer home, a better time in fact than has been seen in years. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal mentions that a larger home gives more bang for the buck, and these days that is exactly what people are looking for.

It has taken a bit longer for sellers of high end homes to come to grips with reality. That reality is that it is no longer a seller’s market and that sellers are no longer in control. What that means is that sellers now feel the need to not only come down in price but do a better job of haggling when they get an offer, after-all it is an unknown when the next offer may arrive.

Click here to read a recent article from the Wall Street Journal on why it is a good time to buy a bigger, nicer home.

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The recession has had a few benefits for those looking for the next best deal, one of which is the short sale. Short sales are when home owners owe more than their homes are worth and sell them for less than is owed. For the seller a short sale is a way to avoid foreclosure. For a buyer a short sale can be a great investment opportunity. The downside of a short sale is that the procedure can be lengthy and frustrating at times. A short sale is dependent on the lender’s approval and the lender’s involvement typically slows the entire process down.

Here are a few basics that can help you through this interesting real estate procedure:

• Know what the home is worth. A Realtor can do a comparative market analysis (CMA) and let you know what the home is worth. While you will probably pay less than the home’s value, submitting an offer that is too low will most likely be rejected by the bank.
• Find a real estate professional that has experience with short sales. A certified distressed property expert (CDPE) for example, is a real estate professional that has undergone specific training related to the sale of distressed properties.
• Be prepared. Just like buying regular real estate, have your money ready. If you will be getting a loan, do your mortgage homework before you enter the short sale process.

Above all, patience is a necessity when completing a short sale. The process can be a long one and waiting it out, while tiring, is unavoidable if you want the purchase to succeed.

Click here to read an article about short sales from NPR.

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The heat of summer means barbecues, water fights, trips to the pool and lots of outdoor fun, it also means higher than normal water usage. In most parts of the country water is a precious commodity and an increase in usage can not only hurt your wallet but your environment as well. Here are a few ways to cut back on water consumption.

• When it comes to the outside attempt to plant flowers, shrubs and plants that require less water than others. Xeroscaping can be beautiful and conserve water at the same time.
• Examine your sprinkler system and if it is on a timer system set it for once a day, every other day, preferably at night when the water won’t evaporate in the heat of the sun. If your sprinkler is a manual one, turn it on after the sun goes down.
• Inside your home make sure that your appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines, are energy star compliant. It is also a good idea to wash full loads whenever possible to make the most of your water consumption.

Do your part to pay attention to your water consumption and cut back where you can. It is important to conserve water for both your community and your bank account.

Click here to read an article from Realty Times about conserving water at your home.

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It is important to research a neighborhood before purchasing your new home

While many people seem to think that it is not wise to think of your home as an investment, the reality is that your home is an investment. This being said there are some things to keep in mind when setting out to buy a home, the least of which is getting to know the neighborhood you wish to buy in. If you do your research and your homework selecting your home properly can insure more of a return for you when you decide to sell at some point in the future.

Research the neighborhood that you want to live in. Aside from knowing the schools and amenities that are available, take a close look at the property levels. Which streets hold more value? Is one edge of the neighborhood closer to a more upscale neighborhood, is one side close to a less desirable neighborhood? According to Realty Times, less is more. They say purchasing the least in the best neighborhood will give you the greatest return as every time a better house sells your value goes up as well.

While you may not look at your primary residence as an investment, in the long run it may be the best investment you have, so do your research and you will be happier in the long run.

Click here to read buying advice from Realty times.

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It is not uncommon for homeowners to outgrow a home, but knowing when it makes sense to trade up to a bigger home is important when making such a move. Of course the biggest questions involve finances.

Does your current home have enough equity built up in it to make sense? If you can sell your current home for a nice profit and have extra money to put down on your new home it will make your entire transition and easier one.

Can you afford the mortgage on your new home? If you can take the equity from your current home and put down a nice down-payment, your new mortgage could be similar to your current home’s mortgage which would make the entire transition more affordable. If your new mortgage is going to be a larger one make sure that your income has increased enough to afford it.

Analyze the market you are in. If your current home will sell quickly and for asking price or greater, will the new home you choose be more expensive as well? Look at the neighborhood you want to move to and know what homes are selling for.

There are a lot of factors that come into play when deciding to buy a bigger, better home but remember that the grass is not always greener. A bigger home will cost more to run and take more to upkeep. Take a good hard look and make sure that the decision is in your best interest for a solid financial future.

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Relocating can be much easier with the right Realtor

Moving to a new home can be quite an ordeal, whether you are moving within the same area or across the country. To make a complicated and often stressful situation easier choosing a qualified and experienced real estate broker can make all the difference.
A qualified Realtor can:

• Help you locate the best neighborhood to suit you and your family’s needs. He will know the area and will match it with your considerations and needs.
• Help you settle in faster by matching your interests and hobbies with the appropriate groups. He will also point you toward the right doctors, schools and professional areas that will set you out on the right foot.
• Will have the answers to your questions. He will have survived relocation many times with many people and have the answers you are looking for.

Keep in mind that choosing a Realtor with a solid reputation, a track record behind him and the knowledge you need to not only succeed in your real estate transaction but adjust to your new surroundings will make your entire move run much more smoothly. Do your homework and the real estate broker you choose will do the homework on your new environment.

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The upheaval of the global financial market has produced one positive side effect: historically low mortgage interest rates. For the past year or so we have been hearing about historically low interest rates, repeatedly being told that the rates are the lowest that they have been in 30 years, since the tracking of interest rates began. This week the headlines have been blaring the same news again, with interest rates even lower than they were the last time that they were at 30 year lows just a few months ago.

Currently a 30 year fixed rate mortgage can be locked in for a 4.87% interest rate. Even jumbo loans have fallen, with an interest rate of 4.5%. While there is much hype about the tightening of the financial market and the hoops a borrower has to jump through to secure a loan, there couldn’t be a better time to refinance or purchase a new home.

It’s a great time to either own a home or buy a home. Low interest rates can shave a great deal of money off of the cost of a home over the lifetime of a loan. If you have good credit, a steady source of income and have been thinking about purchasing real estate then you owe it to yourself to get out there and start looking, unless of course you can afford to wait another 30 years or so.

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It is no secret that it is a buyer’s market out there, great news for buyers, not so great for sellers. Sellers are no longer in a position to dictate the rules of the game and have to be careful how they respond and counter to offers, due to the fact that if a buyer doesn’t get his way he might just move on to the next seller, and there are a lot of sellers out there.

There are a few difficult things about being a seller today. A seller doesn’t know how long it will take to sell his home and when he gets a contract he can’t guarantee whether another one will come or not. What this means is that if a seller has to sell his home then he has to be wary of scaring the buyer away.

The inspection is one aspect of a contract where a seller can lose his shirt. If trying to sell your home it is a wise idea to have your home inspected before listing your home. This way you can make the necessary improvements and will avoid being surprised by unexpected requests. Because sellers are not in a position to capitalize on their real estate investment it is more important than ever to be on top of things, in order to retain as much value as possible.

An experienced Realtor is incredibly helpful in maneuvering a tricky real estate market, enabling a seller to evaluate his home, price it appropriately and sell it in a reasonable amount of time.

Locally, the York market is showing strong activity in the under $200,000 category. The key has been to price properties agaisnt the competition. We had two listings that we marketed in April that sold for 97% of listing price in 13 days! Today’s market requires you bring your “A” game, but does present opportunites. Give us a call if we can answer any questions you might have.

 Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library