Eileen's Green Team At Gateway Realty, Inc.

Sellers Might be GETTING the Message Now Deal with the Buyer

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:45:42 -0700

Buyers are beginning to run into a strange new phenomenon. COMPETING OFFERS!! Somehow we have done such a good job of making buyers believe in the 'slowdown' that they are starting to act as if it were real. You know the buyer who wants to offer 20% less than asking price on every contract. It doesn't matter to him whether the home is priced correctly or not; the guys at the office are telling him that you should offer less and he doesn't want to look like a pushover. He hasn't had an offer accepted yet, but he knows its only a matter of time!

Well this week I am running into a different reality. Some sellers and their agents have got the message and are pricing great homes at real market value. The buyer I am working with this week no longer believes in the real estate slump here in Central Pa. She found a home she loved... we went to lunch to talk about it. Ring y ding; home sold!

Two days later she found a great home, almost new, perfect size, lots of features, and priced right. We submitted a contract. So did two other families! We are to submit our best and final offer by noon on Monday.

Two fairly priced homes don't make a trend, to be sure, and I am not making light of the fact that the market has made a correction, but this might just be a sign of the upturn to come!

PS Got home to find The Today Show discussing how to sell a home in this historic slump in the market. Here's a thought...........PRICE IT RIGHT!!

Let the system do it's work; buyers are watching

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:40:04 -0700

Lots of sellers seem to be lamenting the fact that strangers aren't streaming through their homes. Seems to me that might be a good thing!

Maybe an example would be instructive.

This evening I wrapped up a deal on a home for a family from out of town.

First I sent them dozens and dozens of listings and they searched on line for weeks. ( they live an hour away)

Next, they scheduled a three day trip to the area and selected their six favorite homes of the hundreds I had sent via email for their consideration. Although they thought they knew for sure what their first and second choices would be they wanted to see a few more just to be sure.

Day one of their visit we toured 5 homes; (one of their selections went UA the day they got here) They were stunned that their first and second choice homes on paper turned out to be last on their list by the end of the day. ...fell in love with a home that they didn't really like on paper. We decided to look at three more homes on day two, pretty much because they couldn't believe they found their home on the "first day".

Day two they came to the office and asked to write up an offer immediately; cancelled all other tours. We crunched the numbers, made an offer and countered the counter offer.

Day three everybody agreed on the price and terms and we sealed the deal, scheduled inspections, sent contracts to the lender. They spent the rest of the day playing tourist.

Tomorrow is day four and they head home, very happy campers.

Unusual? Yes, a little. But the point is they DID shop carefully and they knew what they wanted when they saw it. They didn't pay full price because they had seen what similar homes were going for and had a pretty good idea what the real market value was. But they did see the home because the seller had the good judgment to drop the price to nearly where it belonged. (A few weeks earlier they would not have found the home at all because it was listed at $30,000 over market value and ten thousand out of their search limits.)

Was there another home in the hundreds they rejected on paper that would have caught their eye if they had stepped inside to smell the cookies? Sure! Did they ever get to it? No, because it never jumped out at them on paper, or did not come up in their price range.

Did I drive them around? You betcha! Did I spend half as much time driving as I had spent on the internet with them. Not by a long shot!

It's a different world; you have to play a different game!

Oh, and did I mention that before we met for the first time they had selected me as their buyers agent? Their file was set up with a pre-approval letter, their preferences, and their absolute turn-offs. None of those other sellers even knew they had been considered and rejected.

But that may be a good thing because some sports fan got to watch the Tar Heels knock the tar out of somebody on their way to the championship. If we had been in his house he would have had to spend the evening down at the local WAWA drinking bad coffee and chomping at to bit to get back to his "man cave".

Sellers, let the new system do its job; you'll spend less time over bad coffee.

Eileen Musser, Realtor

GATEWAY REALTY INC.

Lancaster, Pa

800-765-3247 ext 545

717-615-3179

Don't miss a TRUE $8000 GIFT!

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:53:41 -0700

We all know that if it seems too good to be true it probably is, right? Well maybe not in this case.

Please take a look at the information below and then be sure to get the word out to those you care about who may qualify to take advantage of this TRUE GIFT!

The question and answer session below has been adapted from an article by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors. I have added some additional comments and a link to additional information.

Eileen Musser, Realtor

How much is the tax credit?

The maximum credit amount is $8000 or 10% of the cost of the home if the home price is less than $80,000.

What type of property is eligible?

Any single family residence (including condos, co-ops, townhouses) that will be used as a primary residence.

Is it a tax credit or tax deduction?

It is a tax credit. A credit reduces taxes owed after all standard deductions are calculated.

Is there a limit depending on income?

Yes. The full amount of credit is available for individuals with adjusted gross income of no more than $75,000 ($150,000 for a joint return.) It phases out above those caps until it reaches zero for individuals with income over $95,000. ($170,000 joint returns).

Who qualifies as a first-time buyer(s)?

Anyone who has not owned or purchased a primary residence in the last three years is considered a first-time buyer in this program.

Can the buyer receive the credit if they're financed with state or local bonds?

Yes.

Does the buyer have to repay the credit?

The buyer(s) must live in the home for at least three years; otherwise the credit must be repaid.

When does the tax credit program begin?

January 1, 2009.

When does the tax credit program end?

November 30, 2009.

How do homebuyers claim the tax credit?

Participants claim the tax credit on their federal tax return. The homebuyer would enter the $8000, or 10% of the home's cost, as a tax credit. This reduces any taxes owed or increases the refund to the homeowner. There is no application form to be filled out.

In addition, remember that you can claim the tax credit on your 2008 tax return. If you have filed your 2008 tax return before you settle on the home, then it is your option to amend your 2008 return, or to take the credit on your 2009 return. I would think the sooner the better, but the choice is up to you. Consult your tax advisor for other questions.

Additional information can be found at http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/

Please pass this information on to anyone you know who can (should!) take advantage of this opportunity. This is a true gift! When combined with the right loan program and with certain qualifiers, it is possible to get into a first home with almost no money down.

Help us get the word out, please! We are ready and waiting to help you make the most of this great buying opportunity.

Eileen Musser, EcoAssociate, ePro, Realtor

Eileen's Green Team

GATEWAY REALTY, INC.

120 North Pointe Blvd.,

Lancaster, Pa. 17601

Serving York, Lancaster, South Central Pennsylvania

1-800-765-3247 ext 545

717-560-5374 office fax

eileen@gatewayrealtyinc.com

717-615-3179 cell phone

http://activerain.com/eileenmusser

Somebody 'splain this to me? Does a lender pretend I already have $8000

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:52:48 -0800

If I were a first time buyer, I'm not, by a long shot, but if I were, how would my lender handle the fact that my Uncle Sam BHO is going to give me $8000 as soon as I buy my first home. OK, so it's not exactly right away, but as soon as I can file my taxes and get my return I am going to have a nice handful of cash.

Does a lender consider that when I ask for a pre-approval? If I have not been able to scrape together enough money for a downpayment, why would the lender think I am going to be able to afford to make payments on a home?

Isn't this just setting me up to get into a bind like my friends who did 100% financing two years ago? If I can't manage my money to put aside a down payment, then how will I set up an emergency fund so that I don't have to default on my loan as soon as I have a medical emergenty that is not fully covered by insurance, or wreck my car and need to buy another one to be able to keep going to work?

Just wondering.

Spectacular Homes Available for Rent

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:29:29 -0800

A recent ad in our MLS says thie:

Rent Only: 5000 sq ft home on 5 ac. 1000 sq ft master suite. 5 bedrooms and a den. Two year lease preferred. $2395 per month.

THIS IS NOT MY LISTING, but it is a real one, and it got my attention.

Realtors are not going to want to hear this, but this may be a good time to RENT. Before you have a stroke, understand that I am talking about folks in special circumstances, not the average person who is looking for a home where they plan to stay for many years.

Yesterday I was talking with a family who may need to sell their large home because of a change in their circumstances. They own a beach house that they have been trying to sell with no success and are finding the load of owning two homes to be too much for them. They asked me if I thought it would be a good idea to sell their primary home and rent a less expensive place for a while.

First I went apoplectic, but when I calmed down I had to admit that they might have a point. By taking the equity out of their primary home they could pay down the mortgage on the beach house so that the payment would be at a very manageable. Several things work in their favor.

Even though they will sell the home for less than they paid for it two years ago, prices in our area have dropped less than 20% from their highs.
They are in a relatively high price range where homes are not selling well, which means that there are very nice rentals available for less than their mortgage payment.
They will be staying in the area and with careful monitoring of the market they may be able to buy again if they see that prices are trending upward.

Of course they are also taking some risk.

What if they miss the upturn in the market? Sell low, buy high is a real bite!
What if circumstances change and they find themselves unable to qualify for a new mortgage when they are ready to purchase.
There will be fees and costs associated with the sale of this home, and with the purchase of another one later. It could take a long time to recover those costs.

Still, as a stop-loss measure, in their situation it might be the best thing to do.

Would YOU be better off renting, and what is available if you decide to take that path?

It goes back to basics, doesn't it. This might be an option you should consider if:

you are going to be in the area for less than two or three years
you don't have the cash available to make a substantial down payment
you expect to make a career change that will allow you to buy a better home in a few years

At lease in Central Pennsylvania where I operate, the larger the home, the more likely that you can rent for less than the mortgage. Homes that sell for $120,000 may rent for over $1000, while a home that might cost $700,000 is available for under $2400 per month!

Pretty good deal for an executive who expects to be transferred again in 2 years........ not such a good deal for the everyday Joe who just wants a home to call his own.

By the way, do contact me if you want to rent that awsome home above! Just make it snappy; those are not available every day.

3260 Walker Ave., Dover, Pa. 17315

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:48:54 -0800

Great Buy in Brookside Heights Custom Features and Prime Lot

3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath home built in 2007, 1884 Sq Ft, $220,000

Find SUPERIOR VALUE in this custom designed home w stone accents*CENTRAL VAC*double decks*large lot backs to common area*Luxury Master suite w laundry, double w/i closets, pocket doors to reading nook,den or office*Gas fireplace in LR*TV cubby*CUSTOM KITCHEN*large garage*SUPERIOR WALL bsmt easy to finish*

Click here for a VisualTour www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?PRT=1&T=1763731

3260 Walker Ave., Dover, Pa. 17315

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:30:10 -0800

Great Buy in Brookside Heights Custom Features and Prime Lot

3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath home built in 2007, 1884 Sq Ft, $220,000

Click here for a VisualTour www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?PRT=1&T=1763731

Line up those ducks! Proof of ability to purchase is not optional.

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:20:22 -0800

So you want a bargain and you think a bank owned property is your best chance to get it? Well get your ducks in a row kid! The banks won't wait for you to collect your missing quackers!

Sometimes working with REO property can be exasperating. I am not sure that I understand the full question since it looks as if you ran out of space in mid sentence. Here are some general facts about today's real estate climate.

1. You can find some great bargains, but you have to be ready to compete for them. The market is still slow, but there are buyers out there looking for their next purchase. When a great deal is available there are often several offers.

2. In order to be competitive you need to have you paperwork ready to go. The sellers' employees are extremely busy and don't have any patience with Realtors who submit offers without all the required documentation. They have posted notices listing documentation and addenda that must accompany the offer. If any part of it is missing they will not look at your file. PERIOD.

3. One part of the paperwork that MUST accompany your offer for every lender that I know of is a WRITTEN pre-approval letter. A pre-qualifying letter is not strong enough. There must be solid evidence that you are truly qualified to purchase. Without proof of your ability to purchase your offer will not be considered. The days of "get it to us when you can" are OVER, at least for now.

4. When the seller is a bank, or bank approval is needed it will take some time to get a response to your offer. Again the Realtor has very little power to speed up the process.

5. The bank can impose rules on the process and stipulate terms. For instance it is not unusual for them to demand that the buyer pay all transfer taxes. I have seen fees charged to the buyer that are called 'loss mitigation, or loss abatement". The point is that you and your Realtor need to know what your costs will be so that you can take them into consideration when you are writing your offer. You don't want to battle over the last $500 of the contract price and then find out that you will pay thousands more in fees and taxes than you expected.

So go ahead and get your pre approval letter in writing. If your bank is not cooperating get another lender. You don't have a full raft (of ducks) without a loan pre approval.

Web Reference: http://eileenmusser.point2agent.com/

Tax Credit Surprises!

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:59:31 -0700

If you haven't read the details on the $7500 tax credit you have to take a look at this clear and easy to read explaination. It might surprise you!

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/faq.php#2

Did you KNOW...........?

The tax credit may be used by folks who have owned a home in the past. It is called a first time buyer program, but if you have not owned your own home for 3 years you may qualify.

The credit can be applied to your 2008 tax bill even if you purchase the home in 2009.

If you are going to claim the credit on your 2008 return, you may be able to adjust your W4 so that you start getting a fatter pay check right now! Of course the idea is that you will save the extra money to put toward your downpayment and closing costs. Be smart! Don't blow the windfall on popcorn and bubblegum. If you don't buy the home by mid 2009, you are going to have some 'splainin' to do. (and some hefty tax bills to pay)

Do consult your tax advisor! I am not a lawyer or an accountant. This is just my read on the information found at the link above.

I was very surprised!

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

Send Me Your High Efficiency Window Covering Ideas

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:02:33 -0700

My husband and spent a lot of money building a super insulated home with foot thick insulated concrete walls. Kudos for us, right? Well not so fast. Because our water front view is to the north we have large windows that need a highly insulated covering for winter evenings.

I have driven the man of the house to distraction with my wild ideas about fabric covered, hand painted styrofoam accodion shutters, Roman shades with those space blankets as a backing, and a number of other wild ideas.

After searching the internet, I am still looking for some great ideas for my windows that will close the "barn door" sized holes in my wonderful superinsulated walls.

The honeycomb cell blinds, window quilts and treated films are just not heavy duty enough to do what I want to accomplish. (besides, I am cheap and don't have a fortune to spend on this project)

The six windows that I want to cover are three foot twins twins. Each of them measure five feet in height and six feet in width. I have plenty of space to work with since the sills have a full 10 inches of clearance from pane to face frame.

So help me out here. What am I going to do that will be easy to push aside or lift on the days that I want to see the river, but will keep us snug as a bug on the most blustery winter night?

That shrink wrap plastic wrap was great for my little river shack, but is just not going to cut it in my brand new home!

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

Is a Lease Purchase a Good Option?

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:10:18 -0700

A cunsumer recently asked if it is a good idea to sell a home thorugh a lease purchase. She had been trying to sell her home for four months and was considering an offer from a person who expected a substantial settlement within the next year.

Here is my answer to her; What would you have added that I missed?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In some cases a lease purchase can be good for both the buyer and the seller. Be sure that you know if you are doing a rent-to-own, rent with option to buy, or some form of lease purchase. There are some similarities, but these terms are not interchangable.

You will want to have your lawyer review any agreement before you sign it. Also, be sure that you check with the lender who will put up the money when she does have the funds ready for her down payment on a convention or FHA loan. The lender should be able to give you a solid pre-approvel with the stipulation that the buyer will have funds available for a down payment. The loan officer may be able to help you structure the agreement so that the bank will recognise part of the payment to you as equity or downpayment when the new loan is written.

Be sure that you address inspections, appraisals, a non-refundable option payment, and a clear understanding of the expenses that each party will pay throughout the lease period. Specify an end date to the option, and clearly spell out what happens if the option is not exercised within the stated period.

You might also want to address what happens if an appraisal done a year from now shows a value that will not support the sale price that you have agreed to today.

The bank will write the loan only if the value remains high enough to be within their requirements for loan to current value.

Here are a couple of other questions that I suggest you ask:

1. Can she document with some certainty that she will be getting the settlement she is anticipating? Settlements from divorce, wrongful death, injury, inheritance, and permanent disability cases are often smaller than anticipated, and often arive much later than the recipient expects.

2. Will you have a monthly shortfall? If your monthly payment is $2100 and she is paying you $1500 then you have a decicit of $7200 per year before you consider any depreciation that may occur in the year. If you would reduce the price by $10,000 would the home sell now? If so, I think you should seriously consider selling through traditional means.

3. Have you consulted your accountant about the tax ramifications of doing a lease purchase or a rent to own. When you sell you will be asked if you have had any rental income from the property. Your answer to that question will determine whether you have any taxes due on your profits.

4. Who will manage the property while this person is renting from you? Will you be nearby to collect the rents and to monitor the condition of the home? How will you know if the home is being maintained in its current condition? If this person does not buy the property at the end of the option time, will you have a harder time selling it because there is a renter in place, or because the condition had deteriorated?

5. Last question.... Has the home been on the market with a Realtor, or have you been going it on your own? It is unfortunate, but true that homes are not selling based on what the seller needs to clear. The homes that are selling are the ones that are priced with full consideration of their value on TODAY's market. I recently showed a client a home that had been on the market one day. The buyer could not move quickly enough to have a chance to buy the home because 11 parties toured within the first day and three offers had been written. So...homes are selling when they are in great condition and priced right.

Good Luck with your decision. Please feel free to contact me with additional questions.

Eileen's Green Team

High grades for Insulating Concrete Walls

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:43:24 -0700

Zero Dollars Spent on heat so far this season.

We were hoping that our new home, with its ICF walls would prove to lower our heating bills. So far the home is meeting and exceeding our highest expectations. Here we are getting close to November and we have still not turned on the heat.

On nights when the outside temperature has dropped into the 40s our home has maintained a minimum temperature of 69 degrees on the second floor, and 72 degrees on the first floor.

Why the higher temperature on the first floor? My guess is that this can be attributed to two factors. The first floor benefits from heat given off by the kitchen appliances, and has more glazing on the south side. Although the second floor also has two computers and a television running, it is also being effected by the cooler temperature of the unfinished attic space just above. The second floor also has slightly less south facing window space.

This summer I was doubting whether we would use the ICF walls in our next build, but if the performance continues through the heating season, we will be thinking that the extra cost of these walls was money well spent!

Last evening after using the oven for dinner, we actually had to open the windows to get the home down to a comfortable sleeping temperature.

Thanks, Reward Walls! I think we are hooked!

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway Realty

Are Commissions gone with the Dinasaurs?

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:25:17 -0700

Having trouble justifying your Realtor's commission?

From time to time we all have to consider how we get paid, and how we pay others for the services they provide. I recently hired a lawyer to help me get clear title to a piece of property. I was amazed at the process he used to calculate my fee. I was sent an itimized list of every email, phone call, and trip to the court house, including a fee for a long email repremanding me for asking too many questions about delays in the process! That got me thinking about the way we Realtors get paid. Here are the results of my musings.

Why Do I Charge What I Charge

DON'T READ THIS SECTION UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW

There are a few agents who operate using a limited service listing contract or a flat rate based on some sort of itemized fee schedule. I am a full service, full time Realtor and use the commission structure that has worked in this business for more years than I have been able to count.

I don't break down a "fee for service" schedule because I find it impossible to assign a realistic value to the dozens of things I do in the course of the transaction. These include but are not limited to the following: phone calls to inspector, title company, the buyer's lender and agent; taking pix and composing the online advertising; supporting the systems that allow your home to be seen on dozens of internet sites; putting the listing into the RAYAC MLS, the Keystone MLS, and three other sites that I input manually; trips to the house to place the lock box and attend to other issues; composing and printing fliers; advertising in print media; holding open house; scheduling showings and sending you feedback; prequalifying buyers, showing the home, helping buyers arrange financing; negotiating the price and terms of the sale and resolution of any issues that come up; PLUS overhead that I carry for continuing education, professional dues for LCAR, RAYAC, PAR and NAR, and EcoBroker; MLS fees, Errors and Omissions insurance, lock box system fees, car expenses, phone, postage, and internet expenses, my monthly fees for contact management software, web site fees, salary for my assistant, home office expenses, and on and on......And of course, unlimited access to my VAST ARRAY of knowledge and experience. (only half kidding!)

....Not complaining, just sharing a bit of my world.... I know you can relate because you or the company you work for have the same sorts of expenses that are figured into the cost of your goods and services. The commission model is just the system that has been adopted in the real estate community for many years. It is market driven and may change at some time in the future, but for now I plan to stick with what's working.

Bet your bippy! (make a play for yourself, not the lottery)

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:51:45 -0700

Is this a good time to buy? You bet your bippy!

What people really want ot know is whether the market has hit the bottom yet. We will only know where the bottom was when we look back from some distance. Then it will be too late to have bought at the bottom.

Now I am going to ramble a little. Indulge me; it could make you rich!

Over time, (a long time in some cases) the value of real estate rises just like the stock market rises The point right now is that you need a place to live. If you can make that place your own home you will benefit from the long term rise in value. Otherwise the rise in value of real estate means higher rent. Period.

If you don't have cash set aside, or have debts that keep you from buying a home now, take a lesson from these hard times and get control of your personal finances. If a mortgage payment is likely to be higher than your current rent, then start saving the difference every month. That will allow you to test drive the higher monthly expense, and will build your downpayment nest egg.

If you feel that you can't ever get ahead, take some time to learn from somebody like Suzie Orman, or Dave Ramsey. (google them!) Get serious and make it happen! If you are twenty three now and do something as simple as investing your money instead of playing the lottery every day you WILL be financially sound when your retire. So build your own jackpot and stop feeding everybody else's. The senior citizens can get along just fine without your lottery losses!

Now Grandma is done lecturing.

Peace, Health and Prosperity!

HUD Hope for Homeowners worth the read

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:36:34 -0700

Homeowners who are facing foredlosure may want to read the information on the new HUD program that became effective earlier this month. In a nutshell, this program "encourages" lenders to participate in a program to write new loans that will replace troubled mortgages. The new loan is based on 90% of the current appraised value of the home.

There are lots of conditions and the owner must agree to share equity with HUD when the property sells. There is also a payback of the up front equity that is created by the new loans. The details and additional information are found at the follwing link.

http://www.hud.gov/hopeforhomeowners/consumerfactsheet.cfm

Be sure to look at the information by state that is provided on this site. Also if you have not visited this site before take a look around while you are there. There is a huge amount of well written information available.

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

http://eileenmusser.point2agent.com/

The Occasional Short Sale

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:59:36 -0700

In this market most buyers and sellers as well as their agents need some knowledge of the SHORT SALE process.

What is your best advice to consumers and professionals when it comes to short sales, either on the sale side, or the purchase side.

Most of us don't want to become the latest and greatest expert on the subject, but we need to be prepared because sooner or later we are going to run into a short sale situation.

Are there on-line courses that give a solid orientation? Obviously I am not looking for an overpriced "make me a millionaire in a day" program. (been there, done that!)

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway Realty

More benefits of the ICF walls

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:53:09 -0700

We finally moved in to our new "built green" house on the Susquehanna River. It has been quite hot here for the last several days, so dispite our recent conversion to thinking green, we buttoned 'er up tight and let the AC run. (set at 76 degrees, so we're being a little bit good!)

This morning the installer came by to do our fireplace set-up and started to do the TEN HOUR burn-in. HELLO!!! in the middle of a heatwave in July??????? We have so much work to do in this quest of ours!!

I explained nicely that we would rather smoke up the house and run the fireplace on a day when the outside temperature was something less than 90 degrees. (He explained nicely to me that he was just doing his job ...)

Well, anyway, back to the ICF walls. After the fireplace installer left, I opened all the windows to get the smell out of the house and went up to my office to get down to work.

I soon heard what I thought was a jet flying low over the house; then the thought flashed through my mind that it must be a tornado. It was a brief moment of insanity! The sound was really just a train lumbering up the track on the other side of the river. In the short time that we have been in the house we have become so accustomed to the silence inside the ICF walls that when I opened the windows the sound of the train startled me. Just a short time ago that sound was so much a part of our life here on the river that we didn't even take note when the train passed. (Except for that one 2 am run with the engineer who lays on the horn starting above Marietta and doesn't get off it until he is well below Wrightsville. But that's a story for another time.)

Anyway, these ICF walls are pretty cool! (NPI)

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

Central Pennsylvania EcoBrokers highlighted in Business Journal article

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:05:02 -0700

The Central Penn Business Journal has recognized the efforts of several Realtors who have earned the designation EcoBroker in order to bring environmnetally responsible practices to the business of helping their clients buy and sell homes.

The article by Eric Veronikis, with photography by Amy Spangler, can be viewed in its entirety at the following link:

http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=66641

Eileen Musser, a Realtor with Gateway Realty, Inc. in Lancaster, Pa., enrolled in the EcoBroker course last fall, in part to learn more about green building methods. She and her husband, Glenn have just completed construction of a home on the banks of the Susquehanna River in York County. Green features of the home include ICF(insulating concrete forms), steel roof, Energy Star appliances and windows, high efficiency hybrid heat pump with propane back-up, zoned heating, engineered and composite materials to minimize the use of virgin timber, and south facing transom windows to bring natural daylight into laundry and bathrooms.

The other EcoBrokers named in the article are Judy Waltman-Baccon, an agent with Morgan Collins Realtors Inc. based in Spring Garden Township, York County, and Mike Newman, an agent with Lancaster County's Long and Foster Real Estate Inc. He recently moved to Pennsylvania from New Mexico where he found the green housing movement to be more prevalent.

All three Realtor/EcoBrokers seem to agree that there is a growing interest in building with an eye to the health of the environment, enhanced health of the occupants, and the monetary benefit of lower costs to operate and maintain a home.

Lets keep it going!

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

Green Building: What would you have changed?

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:47:07 -0700

Glenn and I have just built a fairly green home for ourselves (with the help of our favorite builder-who isn't particularly eco-savvy). We did some things right, and some not so right. The EcoBroker course helped tremendously, and I guess it was good to experiment on my own project rather than on a client's home.

Within the next year we will be remodeling or rebuilding the cottage that is on the lot adjacent to the new home. We are fortunate enough to be on the banks of the Susquehanna River, but the site is not perfect for solar applications. (view is to the north, wooded hill rises steeply to the south)

Here is the question I would like any of you to address:

Is it worthwhile to have an architect design "GREEN" projects to maximize positioning on the site, introduce state-of-the-art materials and technologies, select the type of insulation, HVAC, etc.? I pretty much handled all of that on my own in the first house and ended up with some systems that probably have a payback of.........NE-VER!

Here are some of the features we used:

ICF walls (probably not economical because of the large number, quality and positioning of windows; good for resistance to wind, fire, flood, critters, and insurance companies! 25% discount.....)

Steel roof

Drip distribution on-lot septic system (the only plan I found that local authority would accept due to slope) $$$

Energy Star appliances and windows

Engineered lumber where applicable

Transoms for passive indoor lighting

Cross ventilation

Hybrid high efficiency propane HVAC with 2 zones

Programable thermostat

Drywall scrap was collected for recycling

Considered and rejected based on local customs and resistance by local authorities:

•· self composting toilets

•· rainwater capture into a tank for alternate use (somehow, somebody, NOT ME, approved running rainwater into a rock pit for on-lot re-absorption-- $$$$$$$$$$) No runoff into the Susquehanna and subsequently into the Chesapeake Bay...

•· gray water recycling

Considered and rejected due to initial cost considerations:

•· On demand hot water

•· In-floor heat

•· Active Solar Heat/hot water

•· Greenroom on south end (could be added later)

•· Geo-thermal heat source

Your comments are invited!

Eileen Musser, EcoBroker, ePro, Realtor

Eileen's Green Team at GATEWAY REALTY, INC.

What areas of the country are really "getting green?"

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:34:15 -0700

Today I had a call from a family searching the nation for the ideal community to call home. Their "ideal" is a community that is, or shows promising signs of becoming, progressively "green".

Access to the arts, theatre, and cultural diversity also rank high on their wish list. They value availability of outdoor activities, hiking and/or water sports but are of the opinion that you can only spend so much time walking a trail. If they could find all this AND could find new friends able to engage in intelectual dialogue, (not too leftish or rightish) they would move tomorrow. (have cash will travel!)

So tell me.........where is this utopic (her word!) community? If you know, email me. A referral is likely.

Remember, GREEN is the lead word here.

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway Realty Inc.

lawn care tip for home owners

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:38:10 -0700

And now a word from our turf man..............

My chief engineer at Musser Turf Services tells me that as the dry hot summer months begin we need to get down to bunny eye level and take a look at our lawns. Try this:

1. Stoop down a bit and look across the newly mowed lawn. Is the surface fresh and green, or does it have a tanish silver haze?

2. Sit right down in the grass and pull a single blade or two for closer inspection. Do the individual blades of grass look frayed at the top? Are they a micro putty knife shape or do they look more like nano sized paint brushes?

If the surface has that silver haze and the blades are frayed you have a pretty good sign that it is time to sharpen or replace the mower blade. Back in the day when we used reel mowers we got a good scissor action that snipped the blades off clean. Now that most of us are using a rotary blade we tend to get into the habit of clubbing the grass to death.

Go ahead and spring for a new blade. Take the old blade to the shop and have it sharpened. Then it's quite easy to swap out the blades now and then so that your grass has a better chance of staying green and healthy through the brutal summer heat.

Eileen's Green team at Gateway Realty, Inc.

PS> No, I am not so 'green' that I have given up my lawn!

text or not to text........

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:02:13 -0700

Some days you just feel very old!! Today seems to be one of those days. You know it might not be your greatest day when.......

-your 6 year old grandaughter suggests that you need to "go on a diet to get a little ....taller!" and you have to admit that she has at least half a point.

-your 4 year old grandaughter asks "Don't old people know how to text?".... and she is completely right!

Well, it isn't so much that we don't know how, it's just that we don't quite get the point. If text messaging had come first and then we suddenly had the ability to call somebody and just talk right into the phone, wouldn't just be the greatest?!?

So here's the question...... Should I really be looking for a phone plan that takes away my 3000 minutes a month of talk time but gives me free texting? If so, what plan do you suggest, and what is the cost?

What have you found to be the best balance? Are most of your clients, customers, service providers and co-workers using text routinely?

For that matter, if I am going to change plans anyway, how important is it to cash in my Palm Z72 and go to a Trio, Blackberry, or some other system that I haven't even heard of yet? To this point I have said that I don't really want to sit in every meeting with one eye on the screen of a little hand held device of some sort. Am I really giving up a great deal of business because it sometimes takes me more than three minutes to reply to an email?

How much is too much when it comes to being instantly available all the time? Is it rude to be reading text messages under the table when you are supposed to be taking a listing?

Grandmas everywhere probably want to know. But don't text us the answer; We think we're doing pretty dang great to be blogging!

Eileen's Green Team at Gateway

Is anybody watching the game?

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:26:39 -0700

Sometimes when I am just about to nod off to sleep my brain comes unglued and my thoughts seem to take a trip of their own invention. Here is my last flight of fancy.

Imagine we all go to a football game, but the bleachers have been replaced with little electronically guided bumper cars. There is a game going on down on the field, but most of the crowd is watching a giant screen in the end zone. Each fan has an electronic pea shooter. By some mechanism that nobody quite understands you can flash your thoughts to the screen with a well placed shot from your magical peashooter.

If another fan can load and fire quickly enough to hit your message before it fades from the screen he can either follow your train of thought, or flash up an unrelated message of his own. If enough BBs hit the screen at one time, then the author of the target message gets a zap and his bumper seat spins a little closer to the end zone. Now he has a better shot at the screen and can hope to be bumped still closer the next time his message gets a flurry of hits.

The stadium becomes a riot of scrambling marksmen, frantic to light up the screen. Because everybody is so busy working their own peashooters they stop reading the messages all together and just fire at random whenever they are locked and loaded.

Now mix in a couple hundred inventive vendors, running through the crown hawking better peashooters, some of them self loading, some with auto-fire mechanisms, some of them just prettier than the rest. Well you can take it from there!

I think I might just put down my peashooter for a while and float down to a quite corner until you clever fans figure out a less frantic system. I know the game might be over by then, but who was watching anyway!

Eileen, selling green in Central Pennsylvania

What Clean-up Program Keeps Computer Humming?

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:53:44 -0700

From time to time I come across links to 'free trial' versions of programs designed to clean up my hard drive, remove errors in my registry files, and unclog my start-ups among other things.

I use my computer as much as I drive my car, and I know about as much about what is under the hood in one as the other. Just so you understand, my dad was a mechanic, but I am a first generation computer user. No guesses on my age please, but I was very proud of my 8088, thank you!

The last clean-up/speed-up program that has come to my attention found three hundred and eighteen errors of which it generously fixed 20 before asking me to pay to download the full product. It is no great surprise, I suppose, that four of the errors it found were leftovers from the last clenup/speed-up programs I have used over the three years that I have been 'driving' this computer.

Which, if any of these programs do you suggest? Do you know if any of them have caused harm? I really do think it is time to blow out the carbon on this machine.

Eileen Musser, Realtor, ePro, EcoBroker

Lancaster and York, Pa

Intrusion Upon Seclusion

Eileen Musser EX Realtor (no longer in real estate) — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:04:48 -0700

Just when you think you've thought of everything............

Most of us Realtors do a pretty good job of guarding a seller's posessions when we take a buyer through their home, but have you considered guarding their privacy? In our last association newsletter, James Goldsmith, who serves as general counsel to PAR and helps man our legal hotline, discussed this subject. I had never given it much thought.

According to Goldsmith, Intrusion upon Seclusion refers to a legal claim that one person has committed an invasion of the privacy of another.

What examples have you seen of such an invasion?

Here are a few that I can think of:

I wouldn't call it an invasion of privacy for a potential buyer to open the walk-in closet to see how much storage space is available, but I WOULD ask a buyer not to open the drawer of the dresser, or any other closed container that is not to be included in the sale.

Would you stop a child from touching toys that are displayed in the family room? How about looking through a book from the bookshelf while the adults are touring the home? .......riding a bike that is sitting in the driveway? (you know stranger things have happened!)

One of the examples Mr. Goldsmith gave was of a buyer who lifted the pages of a calander to find the day that they wanted to offer for settlement. They inadvertantly saw the settlement date for the purchase of the seller's next home. How invasive was that?

Next question: How do you keep everybody together when you tour a home? It's not too tough when there are just one or two people in the buying party, but what about the famiy who comes with Grandma and Grandpa, three kids, and the neighbor's brother in law, who just happens to own a home repair and remodeling business?

It seems to me there are some things that each of us can do to minimize this issue.

For Agents:

Take a minute to explain to buyers how we will respect the privacy of the seller.

Ask buyers to limit the number of people who go on tour with you. Explain that there will be time for Mom, Dad and the kids to see the property after they have narrowed the search.

Suggest that everybody will have a better home search experience if the little ones can spend the day with a babysitter. Explain that this will allow them to visit more homes and allow them to focus on finding the one that is just right for them.

Ask sellers to prepare for showings by packing away anything that they would not want visitors to see.

For Buyers:

Be prepared to respect the privacy of the sellers.

Concentrate on items that will be a part of the sale.

Be prepared for your children to be entertained if they must accompany you on tours. You probably can't focus well on the features of each home if you have to keep the kids from playing catch with the owners' prized baseball collection.

For Sellers:

Think about what you want the public to know about you. Hide things that need to be hidden.

If you wish, provide a small basket of childrens' books with a sign permitting little buyerettes to read them.

DON'T write information on your calandar that would give the buyer inside information on other showings, your settlement date for other property, or an appointment with your divorce attorney!

For Everybody: Apply the golden rule, use common sense and behave yourself!

What a World!

Eileen Musser, Realtor for York and Lancaster, Pa.