This is my first entry in to the Active Rain Challenge for August about a memorable transaction hosted by Carol Williams and Ralph GorgoglioneI was working with a local charity that helps Seniors to age in place. I was running an antiques show for them to raise funds. I did this for several years and found it very rewarding as it was their largest source of funds from fund raising. Out of this I got a call one day from a single lady who sang in their choir and was moving to the Mid-West to be closer to her son who needed some help. Could I please come and look at her apartment/condo in Old Forge Crossing.I arrived and this lady was tall, well over six feet and slim, elderly yes, I believe she was in her upper seventies or even early eighties, but not in spirit, as I looked at her I thou... 08/08/2025

Sindhu Manchester, joined my team in the midst of the pandemic. She became a dedicated and exceptional real estate professional who has been a valuable member of my team at Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. Since joining our team Sindhu has consistently demonstrated outstanding qualities that make her an asset to our organization. However, people have life changes and when her husband was offered a position at the head office of his company in Rochester NY where they have many family members, they decided it was too good an  opportunity to forego. So, we get to say good bye to a wonderful colleague. Sindhu's unwavering positivity and resilience are truly commendable. She embarked on her real estate career during a challenging time, yet her upbeat attitude and hopeful demeanor have been unw... 10/18/2023

Ahhh, Spring is in the air. Yes, the winter doldrums are leaving, warm weather is here. Well it was yesterday, not so much today!We get so encouraged to rush out and buy plants to fill our beds around our homes and brighten up our curb appeal. But, it can be a costly mistake if you plant to early.Whilst we get some warm days, we spent yesterday afternoon at Longwood Gardens enjoying seeing the cherry trees and magnolias in bloom. Everywhere you looked there was evidence of life, flowers beginning to bloom and brighten the landscape. We even sat at a table and enjoyed some minutes soaking up the sun. it was amazing how busy it was.Of course, you go home and think, let's get planting, but most plants cannot take a frost. And really until much later the threat of a frost is real and those ... 03/27/2023

In Pennsylvania like many other states a seller completes a seller disclosure form which is intended to help a buyer identify areas where there may be issues they need to inspect further or be aware of if they purchase this home.If the buyer is likely to be doing a home inspection why would a seller also incur the cost of doing their own home inspection before listing their home for sale?In the last couple of years the market has been so hot that many buyers have been waiving home inspections along with many other contingencies just to have an opportunity to have their offer considered. This has made it important for seller disclosures to be accurate as buyers can sue over things that have not been disclosed. Attorneys will always advise sellers to disclose, disclose, disclose! If in do... 02/24/2023

In the "old days" all we had were phones connected to the wall by a cord. It is laughable to think about it today as we are so used to so called smart phones. I still remember my very first phone number from when I was a child growing up in the suburbs of London, Stonegrove 9171, and we used the first three letters to dial the number.In those days you used to answer your phone as we didn't have answering machines. If the person you were calling did not answer, you called back. If they were on the phone you got an "engaged" signal and you called back. Today, we are always available to every Tom, Dick and Harry, sometimes your smart phone tells you who is calling, but it is not always true as numbers can be spoofed and show as one number when in fact the number calling is different.I have... 02/23/2023

Many people it seems are confused who actually makes the decisions during a real estate transaction, this includes clients and other agents. It definitely is not the tomb warrior in the picture above as wise as he looks.Many, many times I have clients ask me what I would do, or what they should do? This includes how much to offer, when to make an offer, what to do as a result of a home inspection etc.There are many decisions the client makes during a real estate transaction. I educate my clients throughout the process, asking questions to make sure they understand and have confidence in the decisions they are going to be making.Sometimes, when I negotiate with another agent, I realize they are trying to make the decision. for some reason, they have become personally involved or their eg... 02/14/2023

People often ask how much money they need to buy a house, and what they mean is how much money do I need to put down beside the mortgage?However, there are plenty of other costs as well when buying a home. These are referred to as closing costs and you need enough money to cover these as well.In Pennsylvania, we have transfer tax when real estate is sold, this is generally split equally between the buyer and the seller and depending on the township it can range from 1% each to 2% or more each.Then you have title insurance, there are two levels of title insurance, one covers the mortgage amount and protects your lender from any claims. Then there is owner title insurance and this has two levels, general and enhanced. The difference is not much between the two in cost, but the enhanced po... 02/07/2023

Old Forge Crossing, Devon PA 2022 Sales Results and 2023 ForecastThere were 21 sales of homes in Old Forge Crossing in Devon PA that were recorded in our local Multiple Listing Service in 2022. Details for those are shown in the chart below. Overall, 2022 was a good year with significant price increases in homes in Old Forge Crossing. Days on market were just under 5 if we disregard the one listing which was on the market for 146 days. Also, most homes sold at the asking price or above as is shown in the ratio to original list price in the chart, anything over 1.00 was sold over the original asking price. Anything below 1.00 was sold below the original asking price.Old Forge Crossing Sales Highlights  One Bedroom Two Bedroom Town Homes 15 homes sold in 2022   6 homes sold in 2022 No tow... 01/05/2023

 David HenkeLong & Foster Real Estate, IncDevon PA / Wilmington DEOffice:610-225-7400 / Direct:610-618-0808www.DelawarePAHomes.com  11/24/2022

For the first half of 2022, the Chester County PA housing market continues to be strong but appears to be constrained by very limited inventory.Currently, there are only 672 properties on the market compared to 852 properties in 2021 - down 22%. Active inventory is also down 46% from 2020 and 73% from 5 years ago in 2017. As seen on the attached chart, overall sales and pending sales have been much more consistent. Even with the drop in inventory, there has only been a 5% drop in sales and 23% drop in pending sales.Overall, we are continuing to see strong demand throughout the area. The recent increase in housing prices and interest rates are having an impact but demand continues to outstrip supply. Multiple offers, limited inspections, and all cash offers continue to be common.As alway... 07/13/2022

A perfect day for the 4th of July! Relax & Enjoy David HenkeLong & Foster Real Estate Inc – Wilmington, DE/Devon, PAOffice: 610-225-7400/Direct: 610-618-0808http://www.DelawarePAHomes.com    07/04/2022

Need help selling your home, contact Nick Vandekar, Associate Broker today, cell or text 610-203-4543, office 610-225-7400 or Nick@VandekarTeam.comList it on OldForgeCrossing.comStats from Old Forge Crossing 2021  One Bedroom Two Bedroom Town House 16 homes sold in 2021 2 were second floors with den 4 homes sold in 2021 2 homes sold in 2021 Average Price $192,506 Average price $234,525 Average Price $262,875 Highest Price $220,000 Highest Price $238,000 Highest Price $266,000 Lowest Price $155,000 Lowest price $230,000 Lowest Price $259,750 Average days on market 18 Average Days on Market 12 Average Days on Market 7.5  22 homes sold in 2021, highest offer was 109% of asking price.Seller Services – Competitive market analysis, Professional Photography, Video, Estate Sale Specialist, Stag... 03/05/2022

This week Shawn DeAngelo of Prosperity Home Mortgage and I discuss five things that affect your credit score and your ability to qualify for a mortgage and get a great rate at the same time. Check out the video of our conversation and don't despair if you have some negative events in your life, we discuss those as well and be aware you may still be able to qualify for a mortgage even after a bankruptcy. For mortgage help contact Shawn DeAngelo of Prosperity Home Mortgage at 484-297-2192 or ShawnD@PHMLoans.com. Buying or selling on or around the Main Line, contact Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line with Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, or Nick@VandekarTeam.com. 02/23/2021

We all know what we should do, most of us though, don't do what we know we should or we even sometimes do the opposite. Where a mortgage is concerned that can be disasterous if you want to buy a home.I had a conversation with Shawn DeAngelo of Prosperity Home Mortgages this week about some do's and don'ts when applying for a mortgage, watch our video, admittedly a litte long but packed with information and share any that you can think of that might derail a mortgage in the comments.Interested in buying a Main Line home, contact Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line with Long & Foster Real Estate, office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, Nick@VandekarTeam.com, need a mortgage contact Shawn DeAngelo, email ShawnD@PHMLoans.com or 484-297-2192. 02/16/2021

We all know that in today's hot, hot buyer's market that an offer needs to stand out and be a little different. Prosperity Home Mortgage has been offering a great product the Propserity Buyers' Advantage; this is a program where buyers get fully approved for a loan, barring the appraisal and the title work. All paperwork from the buyer is reviewed by an underwriter and a commitment is issued with only the purchase details needing to be completed.I had a great conversation today with Shawn DeAngelo of Prosperity Home Mortgage about this program and some other things about preapprovals and mortgages. Enjoy the video below. Shawn's contact details are at the end of the video.If you are looking to make your offer stand out, then contact Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line with Long & Foste... 02/05/2021

I just listed this great townhome in the prestigious gated community of Arbordeau in Devon. Sitting behind its own gated patio, landscaped to resemble a Mediterranean landscape area, this 3 bed 2 1/2 bath home has underground parking for two cars as well. No reason to venture out into the cold or wet when you live here. Take a video tour: Arbordeau is perfectly located on the main line, and has the added security of being a gated secure community. Minutes to everywhere important on the Main Line and a short distance from Jenkins Arboretum, Devon or Berwyn Stations. Plentiful supply of excellent restaurants, shops and bars are all nearby.For your private tour contact Nick Vandekar, Selling the Main Line with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. office 610-225-7400, cell or text 610-203-4543, o... 02/04/2021

As agents for years we have been telling our prospective clients to speak to a mortgage provider and to get preapproved as the first step in searching for and buying a home.Most prospective buyers know this and dutifully speak to a mortgage provider and get their preapproval for a mortgage and with this in hand then contact a Realtor to help them buy a home.But something has happened over the last few years that no longer makes that pre-approval of any value. For the past three years, agents have been talking about the low inventory of homes for resale, as well as the lack of new construction as well. This combined with low interest rates has made it very difficult to buy a home in today's market. The low inventory, combined with low interest rates has created a very strong sellers mark... 01/27/2021

Old Forge Crossing Sales Data for 2020 This condominium development remains popular and whilst the pandemic slowed things down prices rose and the number of total sales for the year were slightly higher. At the beginning of the year things were quite slow, and in 2020 we had just a few more sales than in previous years with 25 total sales. This is in line with what we have seen across the Main Line real estate market with a reduced inventory and many buyers ready, willing and able to snap up inventory when it has come on the market. As a result we have also seen days on market drop to just over 9 across all sales in the year. Prices have strengthened over previous years with a square foot net price of $213.38. Of those 25 sales, 18 were single bedroom units, of which two had dens. Overa... 01/21/2021

I am very happy today to announce the addition to our team of Sindhu Manchester. Sindhu has been hosting my Open Houses at the end of last year and I asked her to join my team after watching her professionalism and style during a very difficult time. Originally born and raised in Zambia, Africa, Sindhu came to New York in 1997 as an international student to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Business, and later, a higher education in Accounting. Sindhu always knew that she wanted a vocation that would allow her to help others, and found her true calling here, in East Norriton, PA within real estate.  Sindhu recognizes and values the trust our clients place in her, and strives every day to exceed their expectations while guiding them through one of the biggest investments of the... 01/07/2021

Thomas J. Nelson, Realtor e-Pro, CRS, RCS-D, Vets is always encouraging us to Take Action in his posts. This week I got a call from a client who I have been showing homes to for a little while, but all fell short for one reason or another. They had just seen a home they had driven by and wanted to make an offer. It was a coming soon listing, which meant no showings. They loved the location and the look of the lot from the road. It was an estate selling the home, and they did not want to wait till it hit the market. Could we make an offer? I called the listing agent who I know and she was fine with an offer sight unseen. She re-iterated it was an estate and the house needed work. My buyers knew that. So we drew up an agreement of sale, which was very clean, slightly above asking price wi... 07/30/2020