The Little Realtor

(First off, sorry for the hiatus! Only fresh content around here, y'all, so when things get busy, things don't get written!) (Oh this house would be so lovely if I had 5 years and half a million dollars!)  If you are like many Americans, you have a hankering for HGTV (or a love-hate relationship with the buyers on House Hunters) and the Cinderella stories that come out of shows like Fixer Upper , Property Brothers , or Flip or Flop. The renovation TV phenomena has definitely flushed out a lot of people who crave the idea of buying something cheap "with potential" and gaining huge amounts of equity with all the right renovation strategies, not to mention the perks of a perfectly remodeled home. I would say over 75% of my buyers over the last several years have some level of interest in this fairy tale scenario. But how do you know, as an actual, non-TV-scripted, buyer, if a fixer upper is right for you? Well lets crash this fairy tale and talk about some ba...

Ask anyone who has to commute outside of the city, and weaving your way through city traffic will definitely add another 15 minutes to your commute. Well with this week's home, that city commute time gets pretty short. 2532 South Street is a quick hop onto South Street bridge to get out of town. Also an awesome location for city walkers and certainly for those who work at Penn or CHOP!  And while most of South Street is pretty busy, this far end of the street stays pretty residential. Plus its only a couple blocks to the Schuylkill River trail! 2532 South Street - $575,000  3 beds, 2 1/2 baths, 1844 sq ft, central air, 3 beautiful stories, an upstairs laundry, large back patio and a den/family room off the kitchen! On top of all of that, this home has some real charm left to it and even some room for added equity.  And you can take a look yourself this Sat AND Sun, the 20th & 21st, from 2-3 both days.  Click the...

In the age of the internet, we all love to offer online advice, give our take on an experience, and aid in the general knowledge of the community. We offer our insight into the latest restaurant, shop, or experience in order to assist the next customer/client/buyer in making the right decision. But would you do the same for your Realtor? You should. If you liked their service, that is. And if you did, referring them to your friends, family and colleagues is the best thank you you can offer. And maybe not for the reasons you think... "We obviously already share the same awesome hair dresser... we should share the same Realtor!"  Obviously referring someone to your agent helps with their business - its potentially another commission check in their pocket and obviously that's a major gift you are sending them. But the importance of referrals goes way above that. Referrals are a way of reshaping an agent's business. Most people don't know how real...

There are a zillion 'Rent or Buy' financial calculators out there. They all work under the premise that you may actually save money, or potentially make money, by purchasing a home instead of renting one. And while often times, especially in high-rent areas like Center City Phila, that is the case - you CAN save more a month and turn a profit on increasing equity in a home purchase - that's not the only factor in deciding to purchase your first home. Savings. Ok, this is included to some extent in a lot of calculators and is certainly a financial decision but if you don't have a nice amount of savings in the bank, taking care of the initial costs to purchase a home (think down payment plus closing costs) simply may not be doable. There is no easy calculator here as there are several factors, like down payment options and tax rates, but purchasing a home is pricey up front. And you can't take all your savings and throw it at a new home. You need to have ...

New Years Eve is prime entertaining time - and a home with firework views is the end-all-be-all of holiday entertaining. But you don't have to be a millionaire to get those views. This week, I've rounded up 5 homes from $325-899,000 currently for sale that would host some spectacular parties with the best of Philadelphia views. (Plus at least 2 beds for all of those crashing guests) 1027 Arch St, #607 - $325,000  Large, 1300 sq ft loft with spectacular views over Center City. 2 beds (1 lofted) and 2 full baths. That open living concept, high ceilings and spectacular windows make a perfect party house. Also having an open house this Sun, Jan 3rd, 12-1 PM For the full listing and more photos, see here 310 N Lawrence St - $514,900  Ok, so maybe you aren't into the loft thing, but you still love to host a good party. Well luckily this historic Old City home with 3 beds and 2 full baths has a lovely open kitchen, gorgeous back yard AND a massive roof deck...

Looking for a walkable location in Center City? Plus parking for 2 cars? And a yard? And 4 beds? And renovated? You must be a millionaire. Or maybe you just stumbled upon 2034 Fitzwater which somehow has all of that in the heart of Graduate Hospital. Its got 2300 sq ft, 4 full bedrooms (not 3 beds plus an open den), an ensuite bath plus nice sized hall bath, exposed brick, an open kitchen, 2nd floor laundry and, of course, private, off-street parking for 2 cars! The house was a gut renovation in 2012 so everything is pretty much brand new too! And you can check it out yourself this weekend, Sun the 15th, from 12-1. 2034 Fitzwater Street, $699,000  For the full information and pictures, visit the property website here. I do not represent this listing or seller. All information is received through Trend MLS and is deemed accurate at time of posting. Some information in this posting is only the opinion of the writer.  Please call or ema...

If you are planning on selling your home, one of the first things you'll likely do is start interviewing agents. You probably did a little internet research to find one. Maybe another was recommended via a friend. And perhaps the agent who helped you buy is still in contact with you. Regardless of whether or not you've settled on an agent or if you are looking at 12, you'll want to meet with them to discuss what to do to list your home, and what they'll do for you. But if you've never sold your home before, or never done so happily and successfully, then you may not even know where to start when it comes to discussing this with an agent. You want to pick the best agent but you don't even know what criteria to make that judgement on!  So here's a general introduction to what you should expect in when talking to a real estate agent about listing your home.... Styles Are Definitely Different And thats ok. I suppose we should get that out of the way ...