The Little Realtor

Philadelphia Citizen put out some great content this year on how local veterans can be supported this Veterans Day and ongoing !  Check out the below articles and comment if you have some other great businesses or support groups for our local veterans!   Philly Veteran-Owned Businesses  How to Support Local Veterans 

 We've all see the headlines.  INFLATION!  MORTGAGE RATES SOAR!  HIGHEST RATE JUMPS!  IMPENDING DOOM!  And to be fair, some of those are completely true. The last two years have led to insane inflation. The rates have jumped up at unprecedented levels. But in the grand scheme of things, if you are thinking of moving and still have the financial wherewithal to do so, there are still plenty of advantages for buying now. Just remember, its about perspective -  You want or need to move  Your rate is still lower than previous generations saw  You can refinance. You aren't stuck with the current rate forever  Even if inflation drops down significantly year over year, home values, on average will continue to go up. So will rental rates. Unless your income will also go up annually to keep up with annual inflation, then now will be a better time to buy than 5-10 years down the line.  If you've been a buyer in the market, on the fence or tr...

Its Halloween but even after a month of hayrides, campfires, spooky stories, movies and now the trick or treating finale, if you still haven't gotten your fix, here are the best REALLY haunted & eerie spots around Philadelphia!  Whether you want to take a winter tour, solo tour in Nov or plan for next year, these are a few great lists on how to continue to enjoy the spooky season.    Pennsylvania Haunted Places and Activities  Creepy Places in PA  Philly's Haunted Places  Happy Haunting! 

 Posted a few years ago but still a go-to list, don't forget to give your home some love this Fall too!  Fall Maintenance Check List

 I've been impressed lately with some of amount of accessible design features I've seen around as of late. By "accessible design", I mean home decor, renovations and design that is accessible to those with a physical impairment or disability.  First I noticed that back in March, Better Homes and Gardens did a great feature on a home designed with a wheelchaired child in mind.  Yes, it was a rancher and mid-century modern in design so it leant itself to move open-flow and clean line design. But even if this isn't your style, there were some great ideas here!  Check it out here  Then I saw Southern Living did a great home build with "adaptive design" in mind. This was a great feature because it reviewed new construction and slight changes in thinking to make just a welcoming, easy access home for all guests.  As noted in the article,  " If you’re going to be a good host, particularly from the Southern point of view, where we’re all about hospitality, ...

 In terms of renovation projects, most people don't look up. A kitchen? Of course. The bathroom. Obviously. Paint and built in cabinets? Sure. But renovating your ceiling?  I'm actually seeing it more and more and while it won't be for everyone, spending some money on the "5th wall" can actually reap serious benefits for some homes.  The plan? Taking down your current dropped drywall or plaster and opening up the ceiling to expose the joists above.  Via If you have a mid-century home with low ceilings, or a historical farmhouse with the same, this may be a worthwhile endeavor, not only to add visual appeal but to produce the effect of high ceilings and more space.  Via  Common design ideas are to just open it up and leave it rustic, paint the underside of the floorboards above while leaving the beams, as above, spraying it all one color, often white, to keep things light, or adding new wood tones, like below.  Via Via  Via Of course, there are som...

 If you ask the average person right now (your neighbor, your mom, your co-worker), they are likely to tell you you'd "be crazy to buy right now". I hear this often. And its not just your neighbor or co-worker - most Americans think right now is a bad time to buy a home - 79% in fact, according to a recent poll .  Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash And for the average person in our greater Philly market, thats probably true. Rates are still incredibly high at 6%+ (in comparison to the 3's and 4's we had been seeing).  But what it you WANT to buy a home? What if you had been waiting and hoping to buy in 2021 and 2022 and it just wasn't happening? Should you sit it out?  Well I think that greatly depends on your financial picture....  - Do you have a house to sell? Will you benefit from that sale, better balancing the higher cost to purchase?  - Do you currently rent? Is that rental rate particularly high and costly based on the continually rising rental rates ...