Schuylkill County Real Estate: December 2007

The No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum is joining in the statewide recognition and celebration of ‘Coal Miner’s Day’ on December 19 by offering free admission to their mining museum from Wednesday December 19 through Sunday December 23 from 12:00 noon and 4:00 PM each day.
    The No. 9 Mining Museum is located at 9 Dock Street in Lansford, Pennsylvania.
    Although the coal mine tours will not be open at this time of year, the museum is well worth a visit to see the thousands of relics from the heyday of coal mining in the region.

    For more information on the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum, call the museum at 570-645-7074 or visit them on the web at www.no9mine.com.

Opened in 1855, No. 9 Coal Mine, located in Lansford, Pennsylvania is the world's oldest continuously operated anthracite coal mine!  Closed in 1972, the mine was re-opened as a heritage tourism attraction in 2002.  Today visitors ride safely by train 1600 feet into the mountainside, to see and experience first hand what it was like for our fathers and grandfathers to work underground over the past 200 years.  

2007 Market Report

The slowdown did hit Schuylkill County in 2007, but it’s not that bad in Pine Grove! We did sell less houses in Pine Grove this year than last (we have 2 weeks left and a handful may sell, so it may be close) which was a county-wide trend. But average days on market is DOWN in the area, and average sale price is UP! Pine Grove is up and coming, and this report shows.

Pine Grove      vs                    All Schuylkill County

2007:               91                                            1115    properties sold

                        $12,203,304                            $103,327,309  total value

                        104                                          103      average days on market

                        $134,102                                 $92,670  average sale price

2006                98                                            1274    properties sold

                        $12,603,423                            $119,937,882 total value of all properties sold

                        140                                          126 average days on market

                        $128,606                                 $94,143 average sale price

I am providing these statistics and information to Pine Grove businesses so you can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Priced right, you can sell properties in the area. If you are interested in buying/selling in Pine Grove or any other part of Eastern/Central Pennsylvania, call us! We know our numbers, and our marketing. We belong to 4 different MLS systems so your properties are marketed from Chambersburg over to NJ and south into Philadelphia/Delaware. If you’re buying, we can pull full property information sheets from anywhere in the above area. We’re the experts!

Also, we just listed the old Ulsh’s Restaurant near Swatara Village/I-81. If you or anyone else is interested in this property (great location!), please call us!

Happy Holidays!

Erica Ramus

Realty Executives

275 One Norwegian Plaza, Pottsville PA 17901

570 622 6006, fax 622 6620, direct fax 866 734 4256

www.move2pennsylvania.com

Realty Executives: Where the experts are!

For any PA professionals who need Continuing Ed before May 31 of 2008... I have posted a link on my website if you want to take the courses online:

http://www.move2pennsylvania.com/Careers/page_1975515.htm

Scroll down to the right hand side to "Continuing Ed"

Here in Pennsylvania, all licensed real estate salespeople must complete 14 hours of commission approved continuing education courses every 2 years, by May 31 st .

Once all course requirements are completed, you will be issued a Course Completion Certificate or your course completion will be electronically reported to your state (if applicable).  It will be mailed to you via the U.S. Mail. 

The Certificate will be placed in the mail within 3-5 business days after you have satisfied all course requirements.

Good luck!

An agent called me late yesterday and said "I have a buyer coming into town tomorrow, and he may want to see your property on Church St. How much of a hassle is it to arrange a showing at that place? Is it a pain or what?"

1. Great opening statement.

2. How in the heck can such a negative person sell ANYTHING?

My reply is that it's occupied and I need to give the owner notice. Should I set up the appointment now?

She said, "Not if it's a big deal. He may not even like the area."

Hello?????????? Do you want to even TRY to sell a house?

Seems I keep getting wrapped up in procuring cause issues. This one is different and does NOT involve me directly, but I really want to know what the right answer is.

1. Buyer's Agent (working for couple for over 2 years) HAS A BUYER'S AGENCY AGREEMENT!

2. Buyers call from a sign, see a house in a different area than they've been looking. Buyers call the agent & don't tell the agent they have a buyer's agent. She does not even show them the house! She gives them permission to enter the property on their own and look around. They like it and want to make an offer. 

3. They then contact their Buyer's Agent, who tells them not to jeopardize the deal ... get the house, but tell the agent they have a buyer's agency with someone else.

4. Buyers do get the house, but other agent says she has procuring cause and will give the buyer's agent a referral fee only.

5. Buyers want their agent to get them to closing and do all the buyer's agent work (and she does it--to make sure they get the house and she moves it to closing). Her broker refuses to push the issue with the other broker, saying the other agent does have procuring cause. He tells her to take the referral fee.

My question: doesn't the fact she has a buyer's agency contract trump the fact the other agent got the buyer in the door originally?

If her broker refuses to go to bat for her, does she have any recourse?

By the way, this agent just left her broker and now is with a new firm.

My question is this: the fact she had a buyer's agency agreement should rule, right? Let's not even discuss the fact the other agent (1) did not give the Consumer Notice to the buyers (a guaranteed fine!) and (2) just told them how to get in the house--she didn't even show it to them.

Let's discuss!