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Philadelphia, PA Real Estate News

By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
Passover is the pre-eminent Jewish home holiday (although going to synagogue the first and last days is also traditional). Passover is the holiday that commemorates redemption from slavery and exodus from Egypt. Moses the shepherd is chosen by God to approach Pharaoh and demand freedom for the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses. After 10 famous plagues, the Israelites are allowed to go. They leave in haste and arrive at the banks of the Red Sea as Pharaoh changes his mind again. The final showdown ends dramatically when the sea splits in two, the Israelites walk through the sea-bed to safety, and the Egyptian army drowns as they attempt to follow the Israelites through the suspended waters. The ritual most observed by American Jews, according to surveys, is not lighting Hanukkah candles or fas...
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By The Somers Team, Delivering Real Estate Happiness
(The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia)
5 Ways to Recommend Price Reductions to Sellers I have found recently that one of the hardest recommendations for a Realtor to suggest to his seller is to do a price reduction.  There can be a lot of resistance as it is an emotional timeframe for the person trying to sell their property.  I compiled a 5 point list below to help take some of the emotion out of the equation.  The list can be helpful for a seller who is evaluating his position with his own home or a Realtor who is staying in contact with his seller making recommendations.  Also, it is a good idea to go over this list at the initial listing presentation so there is a strategy in place from the beginning.  I believe price reductions are a critical part of any listing strategy in this marketplace.     1.  Days on Market (DOM)...
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If you were thinking of buying a home, now is the time to do it. With interest rates at or near historic lows and housing prices stagnant there is no better time to purchase that home of your dreams or at least foreseeable future. On top of that, in Philadelphia there is a program that if you work for Keystone Mercy Health Plan, Citizen's Bank, Temple University, St. Joes, and a number of other companies. You can possibly qualify for $1000 - $10,000 in grant money, as well as, get up to $2000 in closing cost help. Also, if you are looking to purchase outside of the city, the Keystone Homestead Program could help cut your closing cost. And don’t forget about the $8000 tax credit available to first time home buyers. This is going to end on December 1st, 2009. With this program you get up ...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
  Coming Soon! The NewsBlogSpot A Group of us in our  Real Estate office in Philadelphia started a  site called PhilaDwellPhia.Com. We are a fairly large office approx 50 agents and growing.Each of us took an area of our expertise do a blog on the area.We have committed ourselves to blog at least once a week.Interview neighbors, restaurant owners,contractors,and post local events.. It is alot of fun and is something to do as an office and that the public can enjoy reading on their neighborhood. Here's an example: I live in Delaire Landing and am active on the condo board.Delaire Landing is located on the Delaware river in the Torresdale section in the city of  Philadelphia on State rd. Delaire Landing is a wonderful place to live! There is a diversified group of people living there .Ou...
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By The Somers Team, Delivering Real Estate Happiness
(The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia)
 Sugarhouse Casino - The drama continues in Philadelphia The never-ending controvery over casinos in Philadelphia continued this past week with two interesting updates regarding the Sugarhouse Casino: 1.  Sugarhouse Casino Picks Up Foundation Permit - This could mean that construction can finally move foward.  However, there are still additional hurdles for Sugarhouse such as whether they can build on state-owned riparian land, the necessity to receive sewer permits and permission from the Army Corps of Engineers regarding ongoing arccheological studies. 2. PA Supreme Court Appoints Referee to Oversee Casino Disputes in Philadelphia - This referee should be versed in kung fu, self defense and wear bullet proof gear due to the strong feelings that are felt on both sides of the issue.   O...
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By The Somers Team, Delivering Real Estate Happiness
(The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia)
A Rainbow from our deck in Northern Liberties On April 3rd after a rain shower this glorious rainbow emerged.  I was able to snap a photo from our condo in Northern Liberties before it disappeared.  The whole neighborhood stopped and took a moment to view and appreciate the beauty. What does it mean ?  Perhaps we have hit the bottom in the real estate market ? Good luck finding your treasure !
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By The Somers Team, Delivering Real Estate Happiness
(The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia)
Real Estate Benefits a Spanish Community in PhiladelphiaOur team member Jeanette Mendez had a successful settlement for her listing on the 2100 block of FrontStreet in Old Kensington. Her settlement will benefit the community and is certainly a success story. The sellers were a small investment group associated with the 1st Spanish Baptist Church of Philadelphialocated on the 2344 N Hancock Street in West Kensington (19133). The Pastor of the church, RichardGuzman, and Carmen Maldenado, a friend and church member, can be seen in the photograph below with their Realtor Jeanette at the closing. With the proceeds of the sale, Pastor Richard has plans to build a new youth recreation center. It issomething that is very much needed according to Jeanette, since their youth ministry is absolute...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
    The Bob Woodruff Foundation, named for the ABC correspondent who was injured in 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq, is launching a fundraiser through the social media network Twitter. Twitter users communicate through "tweets," which are frequent, short messages sent to friends and family to stay connected. The free service can be used both online and through cellphones. The foundation, through its Tweet to Remind campaign, seeks to raise $1.65 million to help military men and women get assistance through a variety of services-from adaptive housing to psychological care-once they return from war. "We wanted to do something in a grassroots way," says foundation executive director Rene Bardorf. "It's a great way to reach out to the community and assist service members to reintegrate into...
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By James Yoakum, SFR
(US Spaces, Inc.)
This week, Chris Pummer at Marketwatch.com did a great 3-part series on using self-directed IRA's to invest in real estate which you can read here. I've long thought that this is an excellent way to diversify your retirement savings away from the typical stocks, bonds, and mutual funds and tie your future wealth more solidly to a hard asset, namely real estate. Self directed IRA's are also an often-overlooked source of capital for real estate investing that allows you to avoid tying up your more liquid assets. For savvy real estate investors who are old enough to have a sizeable IRA balance built up but young enough that they don't need to access it for 10-15 years, investing in real estate, be it single family rental homes or NNN leased office or retail properties, is a rock solid reti...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
      Walk Score can help you find a walkable place to live by measuring how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle, not how pretty the area is for walking. The score ranges from 0 (completely car-dependent) to 100 (walker's paradise). If you'd like, you can read more about what makes a walkable neighborhood, how Walk Score works, and how Walk Score doesn't work.   For the twitter tips ...sign up for TWEETBEEP to get e-mail alerts when keywords related to you or your buisness account appear in a Twitter message,or "tweet".... Hope  HelpfulHannah Has been Helpful     Please visit me at my website : HelpfulHannah.com
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By The Somers Team, Delivering Real Estate Happiness
(The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia)
Fishtown Real Estate - Urban Homes in the Philly Fringe To know Fishtown  real estate is to love Fishtown real estate. Fishtown, in my opinion, is one of the most wonderful urban neighborhoods in Philadelphia. It offers a warm people centric neighborhood setting. It appeals to many home purchasers since Fishtown offers a wide range of home prices. It is a destination for visitors and it is located within eye-shot of Center City Philadelphia. So, if you do not know the area, whether you are buying a home, looking for a new hang-out, or just exploring the world outside Center City, it is time to check out what's happening in the world of Fishtown real estate. Here are a few cool hang-outs...        (Rocket Cat Internet Cafe - Delicious Coffee)            (Johny Brenda's Restaurant & Bar &...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
     Take your business seriously .Value what you do. Expect other agents to value what you do.  Provide your  clients with excellent service. The money follows that -  Don't try to follow the money. If you try to chase the money down, it can backfire on you. You  must  be very careful to always protect your clients, and therefore yourself, in situations that have potential for any negative legal ramifications.  Keep your name out there when others cut back................focus on what works! Web-based advertising is absolutely critical! Have a stronger presence because when your name is seen it promotes your services and your listings. I hope I Have been Helpful Hannah Please visit my Website HelpfulHannah.com
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By zeta cross, Getting Greener Makes Your home worth more!
(Smart Green Realty)
I have a new listing in Mt. Airy, a super neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia bordering the gorgeous Wissahickon Park. Mt. Airy has a successful food co-op (Weavers Way) and a lot of "crunchy" people. I use that term fondly--proud to be crunchy myself (EcoBroker, NAR Green designation)! Mt. Airy is mentioned in one of my favorite books Bill Bryson's hilarious A Walk In The Woods (about Bryson's adventures hiking the Appalachian Trail). Mt. Airy has even been featured on Oprah because it was one of the first neighborhoods where African Americans and others lived happily and voluntarily in diversity. The seller of the property is the brother of the late owner--He is a pleasure to work for because he readily agreed to paint most of the rooms and stage them--a decision that will sell the...
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Dr Hanh Vo,Broker owner, e-PRO | Vihi Realty Co. | 215-271-1035 or 267-664-2689 5835-5839 Woodland Ave., Philadelphia & Subburbs, PA Retail/Commercial offered at $510,000 Year Built 1950 Sq Footage 3,420 Floors 2 Parking Unspecified Lot Size 9,247 sqft Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Golden opportunity to own two large multiple used properties together. Bring your imagination here and harvest your season. Large and solid building is at front of a new shopping center of 58th street and Woodland Avenue. Its first floor is current leased 3500/month for a mechanic, second floor is vacant and the selleris in a process to open a twelve-hundred sq. ft beauty salon. This lot and building have one hundred feet frontage on crowded Woodland business area. The lot is five-thousand sqft. Parking is ...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
  Helpful Hannah's Hints   Here are some Free Web site tips and links to make life easier on the web Hopefully to boost your business give you more time to spend with friends and family This site will save you time and money BILLshrink.com will help you discover hidden fees on your cell phone bills,credit card accounts and get recommendations for lower ~cost alternatives   For home owners who want to go green checkout Inhabitat.comThis Eco friendly design blog provides tips and inspiration...   Last site for today is Zenbe.com  perfect if you have multiple email addresses.View all in one in box and check Twitterand face-book from the same screen..Now we are talking... Hope you found these sites interesting and I  have been HelpHannah Please visit my website helpfulhannah  
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This NY Times article about banks walking away from foreclosures brings to the forefront what may turn out to be one of the longer-lasting problems created by the foreclosure crisis: messy, tangled titles. When banks walk away from a foreclosure their mortgage lien remains on the property's title, even if they aren't enforcing it. Addtionally, when properties are abandoned by owners, banks, or tenants, municipal liens and fees for unpaid utilities, demolition, or code-violations begin to pile up quickly. In an environment of declining property values these liens can quickly exceed the value of the property by a large margin, discouraging any future attempts to rehabilitate the property. Even before the crisis, titles ensnared by old, often legally questionable, liens dragged down proper...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
    Real Estate Agents in top stressful Jobs The employment site CareerCast.Com named the "real estate agent" as one of the top five most stressful jobs in the country,but not as stressful as a surgeon or an airline pilot. The top five on the site ,which list 200 jobs, said the top five most stressful jobs were, Surgeon Airline Pilot  Photojournalist Advertising Account Executive Real Estate Agent The least most stressfull jobs were: Actuary Dietitian  Computer System Analyst Astronomer  read more articles I hope HelpfulHannah's information has remained helpful Please visit my website HelpfulHannah.com tweet   
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By Brian Yoak
(Century 21 Advantage Gold)
 If you were thinking of purcahsing your first home or you have not owned a home within the last three years, now it the time to do it. With housing prices at an affordable level, interest at or near historic levels, and the first time home buyers tax credit you ca not sit on the sideline anymore. The governemt is offering up to $8000. to first time home buyers who purchase a property before 12/1/2009. With this program you get a $8000 credit on your tax return. This is how it works. You claim the credit on your return, if you owe $2000, that gets taken from the credit and you get the rest to keep. How does that sound? Also, if you buy in Philadelphia the Philadelphia Home Buy Now program is a program you may be able to participate in. With this program, if you employer participates you...
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By James Yoakum, SFR
(US Spaces, Inc.)
I'm reading that the bid-ask gap between buyers and sellers is slowly narrowing, which is certainly what needs to happen in order for real estate markets nationwide, and here in Philly too, to get back to a state of normalcy. While the bid-ask gap is usually portrayed as a two-sided disconnect between buyers and sellers, from my perspective it seems like the sellers are the ones who are eventually going to have to make the biggest concessions in order for us to start on the long road to a true recovery. Everything in the markets is working against asset prices, and even long term trends don't indicate that prices will rebound quickly once we reach bottom. The fact that the government is trying it's best to help us avoid pain now really just means that the pain is being spread over a lon...
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By Hannah Williams, Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376
(HomeStarr Realty)
     Here are some Free Web site tips and links to make life easier on the web Hopefully to boost your buisness. Your clients should love this one: GasBuddy.com   you can search best prices for gas just insert zip code and go......   do-it your selfers will appreciate these easy home decorating projects and gift ideas DesignSpongeOnline.com  there are wonderful tips ..   For the twitter tips ...sign up for TWEETBEEP to get e-mail alerts when keywords related to you or your buisness account appear in a Twitter message,or "tweet".... Please visit me at my website : HelpfulHannah.com
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