Harleysville-Lansdale Real Estate and More: January 2011

 

 

 

Beautiful in every season - Gristmill Run in Lansdale, PA

 

This post is written as a submission to the ActiveRain Kodak Video Challenge contest.  I have a chance to win the KODAK PLAYTOUCH Pocket Video Camera, great for realtors looking to create wide angle home tours and real estate marketing videos!

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Gristmill Run in Lansdale, PA - A Video Tour - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

If you keep things light and fun, you can get people to do things they don't want to do. Food for thought.

~Lisa

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Friday Fun - The Fun Theory - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

 

With winter bearing down hard these days, heavy snowfalls are particularly damaging to trees, especially the evergreens which will hold the snow.  The limbs can easily bend and break.  Every year when the snow is heavy, trees are lost and damage is done to homes and cars from falling branches.

 

If your trees look like this, we recommend taking a long stick (such as a broom handle or better yet a ski pole - the basket helps grab the branches) or tying a rope around the tree and shake the snow loose from the branches.  You will see the branches instantly spring up once the snow comes off of them.  If you wait too long, some limbs will never spring back to their original stature.  You will have to stake them or replace them come Spring.  So take a walk around you house today and do your trees a favor, especially before any more snow or ice adds to the damage.  Check your landscaping bushes too, many of them are susceptible to permanent damage as well.  A few good shakes is all it takes!

 

If you need to get the snow off your roof, then watch this awesome video demonstration by Active Rainer, Chris Canfield, How to Rake a Roof and Why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last ones split from the weight.  They are goners.  RIP nice privacy trees.

If you want to see how NOT to rake a roof, watch this.

 

~Lisa

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Save the Trees! Don't Let Them Be Casualties of This Harsh Winter - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

 

The Barnes Foundation is the world's largest collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern artwork owned by the late Dr. Albert C. Barnes.  Famous works include those of Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso and Renoir.  The Barnes Foundation has always resided in Dr. Barnes's family residence in Merion Station, PA which was willed to the foundation with the stipulation that all artwork be left exactly how Dr. Barnes arranged it.  However, due to the popularity of the exhibits and financial stress of maintaining such a foundation, the Barnes is being moved to Museum Row in Philadelphia.  While the new site will be great for the continued success and greater exposure of the museum, it will not be the same as the original location in residential Merion Station.

 

Philly Funsavers is offering half price tickets ($7.50 instead of $15) for admission to the Barnes Foundation valid on Friday, January 28, 2011 or Thursday, February 3rd.  For emails with future discount tickets for events in and around Philadelphia, sign up for FunSavers.

 

 

~Lisa

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Visit the Barnes Foundation in Merion Station, PA (BEFORE the big move to Philadelphia) - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

With roots from the days of William Penn, Reading Terminal Market has been in a Philadelphia landmark for over 150 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bounty of fresh produce, meats, fish, poulty, and baked goods, Reading Terminal Market is a must see in Philadelphia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also a wonderful place to stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Amish specialties and every ethnic culture can be found at Reading Terminal Market.  Eat there or take it home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also find candy, gifts, pottery, crafts, jewelry, and other novelties at Reading Terminal Market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

~Lisa

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PA - A Photo Tour - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Wordless Wednesday - A Land of Plenty - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

The Philadelphia Home Show finished up yesterday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in center city Philadelphia.  Hundreds of vendors displayed all the latest in home technologies, home improvement and convenience.  Here is a sampling of the favorite things that we found:

 

This is a gutter system from The Gutter Guys.  It handles up to 20 inches of rain per hour and only allows the smallest of debris to enter the gutters which will inevitably wash through.  It is extremely sturdy and attractive.  No more gutter cleanings!

 

 

 

 

This is an outdoor umbrella from Summer Accents, The Umbrella Guys.  This umbrella is 10' x 10' with built in mood lighting and Bose outdoor speakers with an iPod docking station.

 

 

 

We got to sample various televisions with 3-D technologies.  We had to wear special 3-D glasses to compare the quality of the different brands.  Very cool.  But we still prefer high def TV in two dimensions.

 

 

 

 

 

EP Henry had stunning displays of hardscape that included waterfalls, flower box borders, firepits and built-in grills.  It made us long for summer even more than the chilly temps outside.

 

 

 

 

This is a sample of a gazebo designed for outdoor hot tubs.  Roofing and louvered slats allow for privacy and protection from sun/wind/rain when desired.  This gazebo has built in mood lighting, speakers with an iPod docking station, a mounting area for a flat screen televison, a bar with stools outside the gazebo, a bar rail around the rest of the gazebo to rest your drinks and ample hooks for robes and towels.  WOW!

 

 

 

 

And two highlights of the day included lunch across the street at Reading Terminal Market and seeing a familiar face.

 

 

 

~Lisa

 

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Philadelphia Home Show 2011 - A Wrap Up - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

If you know any women currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months - while she is in treatment.  All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment.  Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. 

This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women.  For example, in Montgomery County PA, Merry Maids out of Collegeville participates in this program.  In the North Penn area, you could also contact Bright Touch Cleaning Services.

Participating Cleaners for Cleaning for a Reason

Please pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care.  This service can be a real blessing to someone trying to get through a difficult time.

 

 

~Lisa

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Cleaning for a Reason - Helping Women Who are Fighting Cancer - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

 

Summer is only five months away.

 

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Wordless Wednesday - Warm Thoughts on a Cold Day - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.

I am thinking about buying a home, but how much money do I need?

Typically, buyers need about 6-7% of the purchase price to buy a home plus whatever down payment they choose to make on the home they are buying.  For example, assume you want to buy a $200K home and put 5% down.  The down payment is $10K plus expect another ~$13K in closing costs which totals $23K. 

Closing costs typically include:

Mortgage Fees-2.25%

Tax Escrows-1.5%

Transfer Tax-1.0%

Miscellaneous*-0.5-1.0%

Title Insurance-0.75%

*Miscellaneous fees include the costs of the home inspections, recording fees, conveyancing fees, and tax reimbursements to the seller.

In this scenario and assuming a conventional mortgage with a rate of 4.75% over 30 years, your mortgage balance is $195K and the total monthly payment would be $1,244.54.  This includes $991 for principal and interest, $212 for real estate taxes, and $42 for homeowners insurance.

There is another way to structure this purchase that will require less money at closing.  An FHA (Federal Housing Authority) loan will allow for as little as 3.5% down.  So if you offer $210K and ask the seller to pay $10K in closing costs (seller assist), you will only need ~$7,500 in cash to close.

Assuming the same mortgage rate (4.75%) over 30 years, your mortgage balance would be $206K and the total monthly payment would be $1,421.89.  This includes $1,076 for principal and interest, $212 for real estate taxes, $42 for homeowners insurance, and $93 for mortgage insurance.

The key with using a seller assist is the appraisal done by the lender must support the higher selling price ($210K in this case, not the $200K net selling price).

Now is a great time for buyers.  Home prices are down and interest rates are still great.  Who knows how long this will last?  If you or someone you know is considering a home purchase, please give us call at (215) 513-1333.  We would be happy to explore their options with them and "crunch" some numbers to determine how much cash they need and what kind of monthly payment to expect.

~Lisa

 

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Cash Required for Closing... I Need Cash to Close? - Copyright © 2011, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.