How to Buy a House in Harrisburg PA - Step 1 - Use the Services of a Real Estate Agent!  You ask, "Why, exactly, should I use the services of a Real Estate Agent?"  To be honest, I've often wondered why people ask this question. After all, you don't expect an auto technician to be a surgeon or a surgeon to be a technician! It doesn't make any sense - each has his or her own area of expertise.  I've finally realized that the reason people ask such a question when they want to know how to buy a house, is that they don't really realize the extent of the services a Realtor provides them. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with all the services I can provide you as a Realtor. The fundamental first answer to this question is that an experienced realtor is an expert at what ... 05/04/2011

How To Buy a House in Harrisburg PA - Make Your Offer Stand Out!  Real estate consumers are realizing that there has rarely been a better time to buy a house. In fact, historically low mortgage rates coupled with lower home prices have even sparked bidding competition in markets around the country.   A good home in a solid location may attract ample attention only hours after being listed. Home buyers: do you want to know how to buy a house? Make your offers stand out from the rest through one or more of the following strategies:   Price. Obviously, price tends to be the primary consideration for sellers. When you're competing with another buyer to buy a house, to get an edge, think about adding an escalation clause stating that you will beat the highest offer by "x" dollars up to "x" a... 05/03/2011

When will the Housing Market Recover in Harrisburg, PA?  A recent survey reveals some surprising results of what Americans believe about the housing market and how quickly it will recover. Trulia.com, a top real estate website, and RealtyTrac.com, the top online marketplace for foreclosure properties released the somewhat startling results last week that gives a glimpse into the minds of Americans' attitude toward the current housing market crisis.   When Will the Housing Market Recover? The first item the survey addressed is exactly when Americans believe the housing market will recover from its current crisis. The results are revealing of how much faith Americans put into our current real estate situation. Year  - % of American adults who believe the housing market will recover: Alrea... 05/01/2011

Make One Final Inspection Prior to Settlement  In the sales contract, the sellers of your new home agreed to leave the custom blinds, refrigerator, built-in entertainment system and those fine cabinets and workbench in the garage. But when you show up on moving day, all of those amenities are long gone. Moreover, the lock on the back door is broken, and there is a huge gouge in the drywall near the front bathroom. Although these circumstances are extreme, they could happen, which is why it is important to have a final inspection of the home you are purchasing before the closing. A final inspection gives you one last opportunity to verify that you are getting all that was promised in the sales contract. Although buyers still have legal recourse if they discover-even after closing-that th... 04/29/2011

Housing Shortage on the Horizon in Harrisburg?  I just found this article on a looming housing shortage. Is it possible that this could be in our future? Agents that have been around a long time can testify to the highs and lows, and the upswings and downturns of the market. But, a housing shortage? Right now, obviously we have no evidence of a housing shortage. Just look at all the homes for sale right now! But, could this possibly be in our future?   Housing Shortage on the Horizon? Mike Castleman, founder and CEO of Metrostudy, which tracks real-time data of the country's inventory of new homes, says a housing shortage is looming that will soon will create a huge surge in demand for new homes. As such, now is the time to buy, he says.In the 41 cities Metrostudy covers, 78,000 houses... 04/18/2011

First-Time Homebuyers Face the Opportunity of a Lifetime in Harrisburg!  Mortgage rates in January stood near lows that were last seen during the Truman administration while home prices were well off their peaks of previous years. The combination made housing affordability, as measured by the National Association of REALTORS®, the highest since NAR® launched its Affordability Index in 1973.          Housing inventory is also abundant in many markets, enabling first-time home buyers to secure good homes and pave the way to their financial futures. Indeed, homes and their long-term virtues of shelter, wealth-building, and personal and civic pride are available at bargain-basement prices that won't, or can't, last.   Naturally, first-time buyers have many questions about home buying, start... 04/14/2011

Townhomes for Sale in Bradford Estates, Harrisburg PA. As listing Agent for the development's builder EG Stoltzfus Homes, one of the questions I get asked alot since we've been sold out is, "What's currently for sale?!" With Bradford Estates being such an active and desired townhome community to live in, townhomes for sale in Bradford Estates is a pretty common question! Currently I have 3 listings that are beautiful units: 2 Camdens and 1 Brighton. 315 Buckley Drive Harrisburg, PA is a Camden with a full front porch. The Camdens have 1481 sf, 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. This particular townhome has a walkout basement and it backs up to the woods. Listed at $149,000, this townhome has it all. In addition, another one of the townhomes for sale in Bradford Estates is a Camden that has a bea... 04/12/2011

"Should I Change Real Estate Agents in Harrisburg PA? I've had my home on the market for six months and it hasn't sold."   I'm going to go out on a limb and contradict every other answer you've probably gotten. I would not necessarily suggest you change Agents!  I have been a full-time Agent for over 19 years and am Agent of the Year for my Prudential's Harrisburg PA Region (Carlisle through Lebanon) for both 2008 and 2009. This is a very tough economy. Listings are sitting because there are fewer Buyers out there right now. This has been the case for over a year. Changing Real Estate Agents may not be in your best interest. Here are some suggestions to determine if you should change Real Estate Agents:   Look closely at what your Agent is doing. It is OK to hold him accountable!  Get s... 04/09/2011

Village Glen Single-Family New Construction Homes in Harrisburg PA is nestled in West Hanover Township.  An E.G. Stoltzfus Homes community, Village Glen, upon completion, will be comprised of 34 single family homes. Ideally located, Village Glen is a quick drive to Hershey and downtown Harrisburg.  These hot spots are the home of Hershey Bears AHL Hockey, Hersheypark, Hershey's Chocolate World,  Harrisburg Senators MiLB Baseball,  The Pennsylvania State Capitol,  as well as lots of local night life.  Community residents can enjoy the convenience of being in close proximity to the popular Aroogas's Sports Bar & Grill House Restaurant and to the Platinum Gym.      During the construction phase running from 2007 to present, Village Glen single family new construction home buyers continue t... 04/07/2011

Bradford Estates Townhouse Development in Harrisburg, PABradford Estates Townhouse Development is nestled in West Hanover Township.  An E.G. Stoltzfus built community, Bradford Estates is comprised of 26 single family homes and 224 townhouses.Ideally located, Bradford Estates is a quick drive to Hershey and downtown Harrisburg.  These hot spots are the home of Hershey Bears AHL Hockey, Hersheypark, Hershey's Chocolate World,  Harrisburg Senators MiLB Baseball,  The Pennsylvania State Capitol,  as well as lots of local night life.  Townhouse and single family residents can walk to the popular Aroogas"s Sports Bar & Grill House Restaurant and to the Platinum Gym.         During the construction phase running from 2003 to 2010 Bradford Estates townhouse buyers could choose between 2 and 3 ... 03/11/2011

 The 2011 Pennsylvania Farm Show opened today in Harrisburg and will continue until next Saturday January 15th.  This is the 95th year for the Farm show which includes a whole realm of activities and exhibits promoting PA agricultural efforts.  The Schedule includes a rodeo, square dancing, pony pulling, horse pulling, grand champion awards, cow milking contest and Sheep to Shawl contest. And don't forget to visit the food court offering PA made food items - milk shakes and baked potatoes.. yum! 20 Wineries will also be featured throughout the week long show. Every year a butter sculpture greets visitors (close to half a million!) to the show and a lot of guessing goes on before hand as to what it will look like. Well, this year's Butter sculpture weighing nearly 1,000 pounds was sculpt... 01/08/2011

As the saying goes, If you are going to eat an elephant you have to do do it one bite at a time, Business planning and New Years Resolutions are big sweeping ambitions that we all dream about. But they are too big to really do anything about. I've written about it many times and so have lots of others here. To get more business you have to get in front of more actual people. And isn't more business what it's all about? The elephant has many parts; healthy lifestyle, sound financial situation, happiness and family harmony...etc. But it all comes back to our success in life; not necessarily money but definitely success. So what are you going to do today? In an article that is out soon on Broker Agent Social Network I talk about how to get beyond the paralyzing size of the elephant and jus... 01/03/2011

     The Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS is kicking off their 2011 Broker Series training by offering their Real Estate Sales Course. It is a 30 hour class and will qualify for 2 Broker Credits. Classes begin on Jan.20th and will run every Tuesday and Thursday through Feb.8th,2011. Class hours are 9:00am to 3:00pm( with a lunch break). GHAR's training site is located at 424 N.Enola Drive,Enola,PA.      The class instructor will be 30+ year REALTOR, Mike Perry,GRI,ABR,CSP. Mike has taught this class well over 500 times and has updated it to reflect the most recent changes in real estate Marketing and Branding ! Students will learn :       Business Planning, Lead Generation, Use of Social Media in real estate, Blogging for Dollars,The 2 step Listing Approach, Pricing Strategies... 12/21/2010

Is it difficult out there for Sellers? Yes. For Buyers? Yes. For real estate professionals? Yes. And, is it going to be difficult for a while yet? Yes. Ok then, let's get to work and solve the problems that are within arms length! Some of you were around in the '80s whith interest rates in the high teens...18%. Did we sell homes for Sellers? Yes. Did we find homes for Buyers? Yes. Did we as a profession make a fair income? Yes. We created ways and adjusted our business plan to get our job done; bringing buyers to sellers. What about the "boom" years, with rising prices and interest rates at between 6% and 8% at times, and little to no standing inventory. I watched very good agents with very good business practices get out of the business because it was too hard to get a home for buyers;... 12/01/2010

TOP 10 reasons to Purchase a Home TODAY (or very soon!)   1.  Huge Inventory – there is a lot to choose from! 2.  Tax Incentives for “GREEN” upgrades to your home plus Tax Deductions on your income taxes 3.  Depressed home prices means a good deal – and it’s yours! 4.  Lowest interest rates in years 5.  Motivated Sellers 6.  Great time to MOVE UP purchase since loss on selling house minimum compared to gain on larger house 7.  Builder cash incentives on new construction homes 8.  Industry high vacant homes means deals for buyers 9.  Real Estate is still a good investment if the home is maintained and improved over a few years – like having forced savings. 10.  FHA Mortgage Insurance premiums are going from $.55 to $.85/.90 starting October 4th 09/24/2010

As a RE/MAX agent, I have access to some of the most sophisticated marketing tools available in the real estate industry.When you list your home with me, you'll receive personal service matched with the latest online display technology. We'll publish extra photos, virtual tours (if you desire) and extensive information that will show off your home and make it attractive to potential buyers.Your home will be featured on the RE/MAX International Web site, remax.com, which is one of the leading real estate sites on the Internet. Millions of potential buyers will be able to look at it. I'll also display your listing prominently on my personal site.Unlike other real estate organizations, in which the office and not the agent controls the advertising budget, RE/MAX fully empowers me to market... 04/17/2010

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Realtor Leads - (800) 900-2807 Even through this Real Estate downward spin, we are still seeing an increased number of families relocating to cities such as: San Diego, Austin, Harrisburg, etc… Still the #1 drive is jobs, and that cannot be disputed. Although another big reason for relocation that started in 2008, was due to great foreclosure prices. Cities such as Scottsdale, and Harrisburg have both seem dramatic drops in real estate prices, which is driving the people to purchase real etate in those cities. If you are not working with families whom want to purchase foreclosed homes, you are leaving a huge chunk of money on the table. One of the top discussions right now on RealTown and ActiveRain is in regards to boosting your business with foreclosures. Call... 04/13/2010

RE/MAX REALTY SELECT                     D J Winter(717) 441-2794www.HomeSold123.comhomesold123@gmail.com             Thank you for visiting and inquiring about purchasing a foreclosed property.  I now include information on properties at each stage of foreclosure: pre-foreclosure, auction and bank-owned. You can search by several criteria, including city, county and ZIP code and type of property (default, auction or bank-owned). You can receive more detailed information on any property by signing up for a free seven-day trial membership. This advanced information includes the address, loan and lien history, sales history, tax assessment data and recent comparable sales. If there's anything you see that you don't understand or that you'd like me to analyze for you, I'd be glad to help.... 02/18/2010

You know the old saying, “Under Promise and Over Deliver”! One of our biggest pet peeves in our dealings in the real estate world (and I can say: our buyers’ pet peeve) is when listings over-promise and under-deliver! I can’t tell you how many times buyers go into a property and are sorely disappointed because the listing reads one way but the home shows in a very different way.What are some “over-promises”? It says: remodeled kitchen What you get: older kitchen cabinets that are simply painted It says: half-bath What you get: a toilet in an open area (like a laundry room) It says: 4-car garage What you get: a deep 2-car garage (tandem) It says: 4 bedrooms What you get: a bedroom in a basement or a captive (walk-thru) BR It says: family room What you get: a small sitting area It says: f... 12/15/2009

Well it's been a while, and what have I been up to?  Busy summer and even busier early fall! But I'll get to that in a minute...Let me tell you why I called you all here: It's time to take a look at your business plan. (he says to the moans and groans in the room...) What business plan some of you may even ask. Well in these types of market environments I think it's even more important than ever to revisit 'square 1' and review or even re-invent (or even do for the first time) your business plan. It's really not as hard as you think, it just takes a little concentrated effort. Let's start with this - If you have been in business more than a year, look back and count the sources of all your deals. Let's say they mostly (75%) came from initial Open House visitors you turned into buyer cli... 10/20/2009