Schuylkill County Real Estate

Cindy Stys | Cindy Stys Equestrian & Country Properties, Ltd | 610-849-1790 260 Beechnut Road, New Ringgold, PA Turnkey horse property ! 4BR/2.5BA Single Family House offered at $294,900 Year Built 1994 Sq Footage 2,236 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking Unspecified Lot Size 226,511 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Two story colonial sets back from quiet road and ideally overlooks the pastures. Very good use of the acreage which is all open and consists mainly of pasture. Nice barn conveniently located next to home with (4) 12x12 tongue & grove stalls, 3 have rubber mats. Insulated ceiling to reduce noise. 12x10 tack room 3 of the stalls have Dutch doors and lead out to the pasture area. Frost free-pump inside barn Overhang in front of stalls provides shade for the horses. The best thing is that 2 or 3 more stalls can be easily added across from the 4 existing ones. Other building can be used for storing hay and other items. 3 good sized pasture areas will keep horses healthy and happy! The spacious home features floor to ceiling brick fireplace with newer coal/wood stove insert. Master suite with large walk-in closet. Relax after your ride in the hot tub located in the cheery sunroom. Measurements are approximate see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Fireplace - Walk-in closet - Family room - Living room - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Basement - Washer - Dryer - Jacuzzi/Whirlpool ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Contact info: Cindy Stys Cindy Stys Equestrian & Country Properties, Ltd 610-849-1790 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Nov 22, 2009, 1:11pm PST

Cindy Stys | Cindy Stys Equestrian & Country Properties, Ltd | 610-849-1790 210 Hillside Dr, Barnesville, PA 21.8 Horse Property offering 4 bedroom farmhouse with 5 stall barn and large detached garage 4BR/1+1BA Single Family House offered at $335,000 Year Built Unspecified Sq Footage 1,650 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 1 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking Unspecified Lot Size 21.8 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION 21.8 total acres. Farmhouse with lovely wrap-around porch with most renovations now completed including remodeled bathrooms. New windows throughout. 5 stall barn with turnout area. 4 car detached garage with additional room for workshop. Garden area with miniature landscaping pond. Gorgeous 6+ acre open field on top of property can be fenced in and used as pasture or build another home, indoor arena or barn. 10% of property can be subdivided and still remain in the PA "Clean and Green" program. A second residence is allowed on the property without subdivision, so there is potential for rental income. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Fireplace - Dining room - Dishwasher - Stove/Oven - Basement - Yard COMMUNITY FEATURES - Garage parking ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Contact info: Cindy Stys Cindy Stys Equestrian & Country Properties, Ltd 610-849-1790 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jan 9, 2010, 6:20pm PST

The number one reason to buy a home right now may surprise you. The number one reason to buy a home now is NOT that the first time home buyer tax credit or the repeat home buyer tax credit is ending this spring. However, both of those are good reasons to buy a home right away.

The number one reason to buy a home NOW is found in the following quote from last week--

"April 1 will be the first day that the Federal Reserve will end its debt purchase program and allow the struggling U.S. mortgage market to operate unassisted. As a result, the Fed believes mortgage rates will rise about three-quarters of a percent to about 6 percent," Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said recently.

Here is the projected economic impact if you a buy a home in April or later according to the Fed-
· If you buy a $200,000 home with a FHA loan and put 3.50% down your monthly payment just increased by $93 a month or $1,120 a year! That's equal to eating out 4 times a month at Chili's and their 3 Courses for $20 Menu.

· Your monthly payment increase is 8.6%, this is equal to every home seller in the country raising their prices by 8.6%. Yuck!

· Finally, if your debt-to-income ratios are really tight your pre-approval for a home price of $200k, just got decreased to $182,800.

· Or if your pre-approval is good for a price of $175k, it just got decreased to $159,950.

· Or if your pre-approval is good for a price of $150k, it just got decreased to $137,100.

So, how do you avoid this from happening to you? First, you could hope or pray that the Fed will extend their purchases of mortgage bonds. Second, you could buy a home BEFORE the Fed's purchase plan expires on March 31st.

It's your choice. You have been warned.

Freddie Mac’s recently released economic outlook describes a refreshingly brighter view of the year ahead, but the pace of recovery in the forecast is well below the growth that has followed most recessions in the past half-century.

As the still-fragile recovery gradually gains more solid footing by the end of the year, Freddie Mac’s economic outlook anticipates real GDP growth of 3 to 3.5 percent. In addition, Freddie Mac said the jobs picture will improve, but it will be with some delay, as many employers postpone hiring until business picks up further.

While the housing market showed broad signs of stabilizing in the second half of 2009, risks of retrenchment remain high in the face of the heavy flow of foreclosures and REO properties. As a result, prices in the hardest-hit areas have the potential to be depressed even further. At the national level, Freddie Mac said it expects the housing market to weather the growth in distressed sales without significant setbacks, but risks still remain.

Considering current conditions and economic policies as well as the lessons from past business cycles, Freddie Mac believes this view is justified. While this scenario does assume that there is no further flare-up of financial crisis, this appears to be a reasonable expectation, Freddie Mac said. Conditions in most parts of the market are on the mend, many risk spreads are returning to pre-crisis normal, and corporate bond markets have largely recovered. In December, the first commercial mortgage-backed security was issued without TALF backing since mid-2008, but the private-label single family mortgage-backed security market is still largely frozen.

Following the 1974-1975 recession and the double-dip recessions in the early 1980s, economic growth surged 7 percent or more for sustained periods. This is more than twice the pace Freddie Mac expects over the coming year. Such subdued performance is due in large part to the aftereffects of the financial crisis, including the high rate of mortgage defaults, the growing inventory of loans in foreclosure, weakened bank balance sheets and the corresponding reluctance to lend, and depressed household net worth.

However, macroeconomic policies aimed at offsetting these drags are providing support for the recovery. About one-

third of the $784 billion of fiscal stimulus money was spent or went to Americans in the form of tax deductions during 2009, and including funds obligated for projects and activities brings the total funds committed to about one-half of the $748 billion. Freddie Mac said most of the remaining funds will flow into the economy this year, bolstering private spending.

In addition, monetary policy is extremely accommodative, and FOMC statements have signaled that target interest rates are likely to remain “extraordinarily low” until the economy and labor markets improve. While theFed has said most of the liquidity facilities put into place during this crisis will continue to wind down, private markets appear ready to reassume their role, eliminating the need for these facilities to go forward.

The near-term picture of housing market trends was clouded by the passing of the original deadline for the first-time home homebuyers’ tax credit, Freddie Mac said. Home sales surged in 2009 in advance of the planned end of the credit, but sales may experience a temporary slowdown as many potential buyers who would normally have bought a home in early 2010 rushed to close before the end of November.

Initial reports of housing activity are consistent with such a decline. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage applications for home purchases declined 20 percent in December, relative to the third quarter average, and the National Association of Realtors reported a 16 percent decrease in pending home sales in November. The weakness in pending home sales even prior the original expiration of the tax credit could be due to the length of time from when a contract is signed until closing, Freddie Mac explained. A lower level of closings in December would imply fewer pending contracts in November.

With the extension of the tax credit through spring and its expansion to include existing home buyers, it is likely that additional buyers will accelerate their purchase decisions into the first half of 2010. As a result, a rebound in sales is expected.

Despite the expected pickup in sales, single-family mortgage originations are projected to be about 10 percent lower in 2010, compared with last year. This decline in originations is driven by lessened refinance activity, as the refinance share is projected to slip from approximately two-thirds of lending in 2009 to just over one-half of this year’s volume.

In a market where the interest rate differential relative to the adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is small, borrowers prefer the steady principal and interest payments of a fixed-rate loan. As a result, ARM volume is anticipated to continue to be muted. In addition, interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans are projected to remain in the 5 to 6 percent range through 2010, marking a continuation of a relatively low-rate environment that will support the housing market recovery.

DSNews.com

I started my home staging business not as an outlet for interior decorating -- as some people would assume -- but because I love the excitement of buying and selling real estate. In order to achieve any successful sale, you have to effectively merchandise your product. In this case, it's a house.

What's involved in home merchandising? It starts with saying your good-byes, first of all, and then overcoming the procrastination of dealing with all the stuff you've collected . . . and home maintenance you've put off . . . for someday when you'd have more time.

When you decide to sell your house, that day has arrived, more time or not!

The most important thing is to act early enough to ... sort, organize, pitch, purge, donate, scrape, patch, sand, tape, paint, spray, saw, hammer, glue, nail, fix, tighten, whiten, lighten, brighten, dust, scrub, mop, sweep, wipe and polish.

Phew!

I mean, people detail their car before selling it. They wash it, vacuum it, Armor All it, and even squeegee both sides of the windows!

So why is it that there are home owners who call on Monday for a pre-market consultation, going on to disclose that they are listing on Friday -- (the photographer is already booked) -- and then are stunned during the consultation that gets squeezed in on Wednesday evening (they were "too busy" Tuesday) that I've suggested they address the dozen or so unfinished jobs around the house, clear out closets and clean like they've never cleaned before? They gulp realizing they've got at least a month's worth of work ahead of them, and ask if its really necessary.

Of course, it goes without saying, they are also expecting top dollar for their home. They called about "staging" because they hear it will help their house sell in a week, right?

Staging/styling is great for putting the finishing touches on presenting the home for sale, but it cannot make up for a home that is simply in poor condition -- at least as far as the buyer is concerned.

The biggest favor you can do for yourself when thinking about selling your home, is to call a Realtor who works with a Home Stager, and get that pre-market consultation done 60 days ahead of time! Not only should you find out the real dollars and cents that your property is worth, but get an objective, professional opinion of what a buyer will think your home's assets and shortcomings are -- another function of home staging.

Then, take the time to address all of those shortcomings.

Nobody wants to clean up someone else's mess. Maintaining your home all along the way is the surest way to also maintain its value. You can't possibly cram this into the few days before you decide to list, any more than you can "cram" plowing, seeding, watering, and cultivating wheat into a harvestable crop!

As we all tell our kids, don't leave your homework to the last minute!

When selling a home, let's listen to our own advice.

 

 

Deena Cottingham

GreenApple Staging & Images
Serving Calgary and Okotoks, Alberta

Have you heard the traditional advice to get your home on the market to sell in the spring? 

Well, traditionally that is good advice, but this is no traditional year.  Real Estate Guy Team believes -and this is the general concensus in the industry- that this could be a mistake.   That this year you to stand the best chance, you need to be on the market just as soon as possible.  This applies to Madison wisconsin.

What is different about this year?

Well there is a trifecta of things positively affecting the market, making it a great time to buy a home.  The Home buyer Tax credit,  all time low interest rates and great inventory because of slugish sales, meaning generally lower prices for buyers.

These things are making home buyers brace the snow and start shopping.  And if you wait till the customary April time, you could miss the boat. 

Why what will happen? 

The tax credit is going away April 30th. (close by June 30th)

This will mean there will be large buying activity up till this date.  After this date, even if the credit is extended, (and industry sentiment is it will not.)  there will be less interest after that time. 

Interest rates are atificially low because the government is running an interference play, (too complex to get into now)  But it has plans to phase out the interference early this year.  New York Times article stated that could lead to interest rates up to 11% from the current 5%.  I can't see this happen, but even 1-2% could have a dramatic effect on the market and hence home prices.

Can you imagine what that could do to buyer activity, and hence prices?

So what is the message.  Start getting serious NOW.  Get your home prepared to be a model home and hire a top agent to get you top dollar now. 

RealEstateGuy Team is a top team of Realtors helping buyers and sellers in the Madison Wisconsin area. 

Search all homes for sale in Madison Wi

 

Guy Lofts

Real  Estate Guy Team 

Helping Buyers and Sellers in Madison Wi  Search all area homes for sale in Madison Wi

Get a chuckle, watch this 30 second video 

The other day a seller client told me that she showed her home to strangers off the street who knocked on her door and expressed interest in seeing the place without an appointment. She accommodated them. We don't know who they are, or even if they were qualified to buy. She just hoped they might be the ones. I told her to never do this again. Call me a suspicious New Yorker, but the risks outweigh the opportunity when you show you home to strangers with no appointment.  

Prior to scheduling a showing, we verify the credentials of showing agents, their contact information, and their licensure. Nobody gets an appointment without verification. If it is our own buyer, we verify their identity, their financial qualifications, and their identity. Otherwise, I might as well have a hitchhiker in my car. To not take these measures I expose my firm to severe liability and clients to undue risk. 

What can go wrong by letting strangers into your home without a proper appointment? Plenty.

• Theft
• Violence
• Vandalism
• "Staking the place out" for future theft
• Identity theft

That last point is a new one, but once someone can get a bill or some other personal item off your kitchen table you have the seeds of a far bigger problem than a stolen necklace. 

People who can't set up an appointment and insist on dealing directly with the owner of a listed property may not have a screw lose, but they are trying to pursue a fallacious angle, namely that bypassing the agent gives them an advantage. The bottom line is that while they may not hit you over the head, they are almost certainly wasting your time. 

 

J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester Putnam MLS. Read my short sale blog here. J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City. 

Subscribe to the 40 Somethings Group. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.

    

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