What do you know about Old Forge Crossing? Today this well maintained 508 unit condominium plus one cottage complex in Devon on just over 40 acres is well known as a great place to live, well located for access to center city Philadelphia and just minutes away from major restaurants and shopping centers along the Main Line and King of Prussia Mall. As many businesses open offices in the suburbs and out of center city, Old Forge crossing is well located with easy access to Route 202 both North and South. Old Forge Crossing was originally part of the land grant given by King Charles II in 1681 to cover a debt of sixteen thousand pounds sterling owed originally to Penn's father. He soon set up two offices selling parcels of land and sent his cousin William Markham over to Pennsylvania to ... 01/12/2012

Sales in Old Forge Crossing for 2011 amounted to 15 homes being sold through realtors on the MLS. 10 of these were one bedroom units which on average were on the market for 109 days and achieved a price of $155 per sq foot. Five two bedroom units sold of which one was a town home and these took slightly longer to sell  being on the market for 124 days on average, however they achieved a price of $188 per sq foot on average. Fifteen homes being sold over the year is not very many in Old Forge Crossing and sales only picked up once the development renewed it's FHA approved status allowing buyers to use FHA financing. Several sales were either of estates, or distressed sales pushing prices down in the development overall, however bear in mind that prices in the region have decreased and C... 01/03/2012

T/E school district announced to day that New Eagle Elementary School has been selected as a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School, one of 304 schools from across the nation, and one of 14 in Pennsylvania. This award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress. The U.S Department of Education will honor the entire 255 public and 49 private schools with their National BlueRibbon School awards at a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C.   The process of review began last school year when the state ofPennsylvania nominated New Eagle Elementary School for this recognition. A committee of New Eagle staff members completed an application that was sent to the U.S. Department of Edu... 09/30/2011

We recently have had several clients decide to rent their units rather than try to sell them in the current market at Old Forge Crossing in Devon. Prices this year have really come under pressure, with one bedroom units now selling in the low to mid $130's, one bedrooms with dens selling for high $130's or low $140's and few if any two bedrooms selling at all, although there is one currently under agreement with a listing price of $210,000. Rents are all over the place, depending on how updated the units are, the more updated the higher the rent. If you are thinking of renting you might want to consider buying, Old Forge Crossing just got approved by the FHA for mortgage financing as a condo development, making it easier to purchase a home here with an FHA loan that allows a 3.5% down p... 09/30/2011

SOLD IN 46 days. It is really hard for buyers today to know whether to list first or buy first if they can afford it. Our sellers of this home were getting ready to list when they came across the home of their dreams. We ended up putting in an offer that was accepted and the pressure was on to get their home ready for sale and on the market. These are dream clients and the home at 122 Devonwood Lane in Devon was a delight to list, well decorated rooms with good colors on the wall and a great lot as well. We held several open houses and our buyer came from the very first publ;ic open house we held, coming back three times to open houses and once with her agent before writing an agreement of sale. With the advent of buyers looking on line many buyers prefer looking on their own and like ... 09/20/2011

Sunday brunch is something as Realtors we don't get the opportunity to enjoy too often as most Sundays we will be running around preparing for an open house in the afternoon. But this weekend we have guests visiting from Alberta Canada and after showing them Valley Forge National Park we decided to visit Cafe Winberie on Rt 252 running up to the park right by Chesterbrook and Gateway Shopping Center. This restaurant has a really nice feel, tiled floors, dark woods and and enough light to allow you to see without blinding you. Brunch was fabulous with lots of great choices and excellent food, lots of staff who were attentive without being in your way. There was a good number of people there, but food was always being re-stocked. So if you are looking for somewhere to have brunch next we... 09/18/2011

Many condo owners are finding it hard to sell their condos because the condo is NOT FHA approved, however sellers and buyers in Devon Pennsylvania can relax because Old Forge Crossing condo association has gone through the rigorous process to get themselves approved by FHA to streamline the process for buyers of obtaining an FHA mortgage. Remember, FHA also offers the 203K loan that allows the borrower to obtain a mortgage based on the improved value of the condo after repairs, allowing funds for modernizing, updating and general improvements. Improvements do need to be carried out by a licensed contractor and not by the owner on odd weekends, but this is a great product in older developments where maybe the unit you are interested in has some need updating to bathrooms or kitchens. We ... 09/15/2011

The Main Line to the West of Philadelphia is a prime area for real estate, and even in today's challenged market. Many home owners in these western suburbs have owned their homes for may years and whilst their equity has reduced they are still in what many call an "Above Water" situation, owing less or nothing on their homes compared to what is due if anything to a mortgage company. What is important for many of these seniors is making sure that the mortgage company has filed a letter of satisfaction that shows not only that the mortgage was paid off but that there is no lien against the home anymore. This type of owner has many options ahead, remaining in their home, if the costs of upkeep are manageable and the size of the home makes senses, down-sizing, or moving to an active life-st... 09/13/2011

Condos today have a hard time selling as most buyers want to use FHA financing and many approved condo developments have seen their approval expire. Old Forge Crossing in Devon, PA is in the process of waiting for approval, having made application and fulfilled many of the steps required. It is a process not without cost, but as so many of these developments now charge a fee to buyers that goes to the condo association this cost can be recouped when sales of these condos becomes easier as FHA mortgages can be processed. Currently, there are 7 single bedroom units available throughout the development priced from $140,000 to $165,000.Two of these seven are single bedroom units with dens, usually a room above the stairwell measuring about seven foot by nine foot, the two priced at $140,000... 08/25/2011

Several agents are holding a business persons open house at Old Forge Crossing on August 23rd Tuesday 11-2 pm, open to members of the public and to brokers many are serving lunch or snacks for those attending. Below is a list and map of the development with the locations marked showing where homes will be open. With FHA approval pending these condos are exceptionally affordable with plenty of storage and large spacious rooms, they never have trouble appraising and the development has plenty of facilities buyers love. So stop by tomorrow and check it out.  Brokers & Buyers Please Join Us Condo Open House & Luncheon Old Forge Crossing Located in Devon Tuesday August 23, 11-2 Enjoy Lunch, Deserts and a Chance to Win Free Gas Cards for Previewing the Best Value In Condominiums in the area. ... 08/22/2011

Chester County homes for sale now stands at a 12.3 month inventory. what this means is that if no other homes came on the market it will take 12.3 months to clear the backlog of homes for sale. That is 2 months more than July 2010. There are actually 4035 homes for sale according to the market data from Trend MLS, that is 85 more than this time last year. Making your home stand out in the crowd is difficult but not impossible. As you can imagine the days on market have increased as well as the absorption rate mentioned above. 399 homes sold in July, 72 more than July 2010, median price dropped by just under 8% compared to 2010 and the price realized at sale as a ratio of the asking price was a little lower in 2011 92.3% compared to 92.7% last year. Year to date, 235 less homes have sol... 08/15/2011

We just listed a very nice 2nd floor unit in Old Forge Crossing in one of the most sought after locations within Old Forge Crossing, a condo development located in Devon, PA in the tredyffrin Easttown School district. Right by the community pool, it is nicely painted with fresh colors and has a very modern feel. Packed with storage, this is one of the one bedroom condos with a den. One of the nice features about Old Forge Crossing is that you have your own laundry area within the condo, no more sharing or looking for coins, plus the condo fee, paid by the landlord covers the gas for hot water, the gas dryer and the stove, along with water and trash as well as your pool fee and it covers snow clearance and common areas maintenance and external maintenance. A sweet deal as Old Forge Cross... 08/12/2011

The Main Line is famous for its railway line, what gave the region its name, man y of the old stations have been restored or are in need of restoration. Devon used to be an important stop, now only the Septa trains stop here, but in the past the was a big hotel, The Devon Hotel and Polo Grounds located just across the road where Waterloo Gardens and The Horse Show Grounds stand today roughly. Many Philadelphians came to take the country air and get away from the heat of the city. Whilst it is probably cooler than the city today with the heat wave it does not feel as if it would have done them any good. The station is crying out for restoration in my opinion, there is plenty of parking and it is a well used station, maybe a cofee shop/cafe in the station building, hopefully not another D... 07/25/2011

Part of our job as real estate agents is to negotiate, so why do so many agents avoid it? We negotiate at first for ourselves when we first meet with a consumer, when we decide if this is someone I want to work with as a customer. We explain the legal obligations our state requires about the different agency representations and what they mean to the consumer and why they might want to work with us, how we will represent them and what we will charge. We negotiate explaining our value either as a listing agent or as a buyers agent, laying out what we bring to the table and why the consumer will want to work with us and why they will want to pay our fee. Locally we have several buyer agents who post their fees online, a good first step to true buyer agency, the complete journey takes them ... 07/21/2011

There are currently 12 homes listed for sale in Old Forge Crossing.  8 singles, priced from $134,900 to $165,500, two of these also have a den so are second floor locations and there are 2, 2 bed 2 bath condos ranging in price from $165,000-$199,900.  Plus there are 3 townhomes for sale, these are two floor homes, priced from $219,900 - $224,900. There are also two homes under agreement of sales a one bed with den and a two bedroom townhome. We currently have two homes listed for sale an end unit single in a very nice private location 5 Old Forge Crossing at $145,000 and a two bed two bath home 39 Old Forge Crossing at $199,900 a very nicely updated second floor end unit that is in pristine condition. The last two homes to settle were a one bedroom at $135,000 and a two bedroom at $192,... 07/20/2011

Ahem! Excuse me, it is 95 degrees outside and the heat index is over 100 degrees...did you know the photos of your home in the multiple list service show your home surrounded by snow? Photos are important selling a home today, more and more buyers look at photos before or even if they read the description of the house. Many multiple list services and websites are allowing more and higher quality photos as well, so quality and content of photos is important. You can tell a story with photos, show a little of the neighborhood, the character of the home, the lifestyle the new owner can have, but you need some variety. Listings that have their photos all taken from the top right hand corner of a room looking down is not a natural way to see a room. Neither is taking them all at the height o... 07/13/2011

Many buyers today want deals, deals and more deals. Which if you believe everything you read is understandable, however, many homes even today receive multiple offers. So how do you decide what is the market price? A buyer has no interest in what you paid for the home Mr. Seller, how much you owe, or what you think your home is worth. All of this is irrelevant. What does matter is what else is on the market that he can actually see and compare with this home he is interested in? What homes have sold recently, in the last three months but not much more than that, the more recent the better? If they have seen those so much the better, but sometimes if the listing agent did a good job, the photos and virtual tour will give a good impression of what the home is like. Buyers today all look a... 07/12/2011

Different brokers use different listing contracts adapted for their use or a board approved form, but most are similar. My point here is that any listing contract that is used in a state where Buyer Agency or Transaction Licensees are the norm should be re-printed. Why? Because we no longer practice sub-agency, or most brokers I know do not want to be responsible for other brokers' agents, so we should remove the sub agency offer of compensation. Secondly, we should remove the offer of any type of compensation to anyone other than the listing broker. Why? Sorry to answer a question with a question. Because why should I be paying an agent that works for someone else? Why should the seller compensate the buyer's agent or transaction licensee. There are multiple ways for the buyers agent t... 07/07/2011

There are currently 10 homes for sale in Old Forge Crossing. Two 2 bedroom 2 bath homes, one a townhome, there are 8 one bedroom units for sale of which three have dens, meaning they are second floor units. Prices for the one bedroom units range from $134,900 to $165,500, for the two bedroom homes prices range from $165,000 to $224,900. Location is important in Old Forge Crossing, whether a home is first or second floor is arbitrary to a buyers taste, some people prefer ground floor, some prefer being upstairs for various reasons. Location within the development is important to many buyers, several of these homes overlook inner courtyards, but then require a short walk to the parking lot with shopping or whatever else you may be carrying. Other homes are directly on the parking lots, bu... 07/05/2011

I have become a believer in ignoring all news, contrary to my wife. I listen to headlines occaisionally but seem to somehow always know what is going on because my wife tells me about anything really important. I am also very aware of what is going on around me and in my local area. So I have come to the conclusion that one can also ignore all real estate news because most of the time it is contradictory. Last month Case Schiller was announcing the arrival of the double dip in real estate. Now just one month later they are announcing how prices in so many different areas have risen. Conclusion this month real estate is back. Conclusion last month the end of the world had arrived. So just ignore all of it. This is what you really need to know. Look at the market stats for your local area... 06/30/2011