What's in a mattress? - 04/21/11 09:51 AM
Maybe if it would have money under the mattress that would be great, but no. Not in our house anyway.  
We are on our second mattress in as many years. First all it was Nick's idea to change it. The old one was indeed just that, old, but I guess he wanted to spend his money on something. So we get this huge thick pillow top from Costco. Oh it was a dream, soooo soft, so high, so pillowy. After about 9 months or so sleeping on this thing, I start to get back pain. My lower back. Not so bad … (0 comments)

Wine down Wedensday - 04/20/11 09:54 AM
What is your first thought when you order wine? Red or white correct? But in Europe many people drink Rose, with an accute e, when it is hot. In America we have the misnomer of white zinfandel which is actually like  a rose, but much sweeter. Last year I also saw some white merlots which are similar.

I first tasted rose as a kid in Portugal drinking Mateus Rose, great flagon shaped bottle, you can get it over here. Not sure if it was that I was allowed wine by my parents or the shape of the bottle that I … (2 comments)

Old Forge Crossing new listing - 04/19/11 07:05 PM

Old Forge Crossing in Devon is an idyllic condo development on over 40+ acres of land with walking trails a pond and stream, swimming pool, tennis courts, clubhouse and active social life for residents with BB-Q's, and other events throughout the year. Last weekend they just had a community yard sale. Location is also fabulous, close to the Septa R5 line in Paoli, Devon or Wayne, access to all major transport routes by car, shops locally and at King of Prussia and a plethora of restaurants in the local Main Line towns and villages. If the outdoor life is for you, … (0 comments)

What is it with splits? - 04/18/11 10:44 AM
Why is it that nobody really likes splits. I do. I live in one. And have lived in one for 9 years. We have quite a few of them in our area, so I guess people like them to a degree, but I always feel, given half a chance they would move out of them in a heart beat. Splits are always price a little lower then if the same house with the same amenities were a colonial.
A very nice and large extended split just came on in our area for $715,000. It has a beautiful large 2 story kitchen … (2 comments)

Cheap and clever little idea - 04/15/11 07:44 AM
Economical and practical describe me to a tee. So this is what I dreamed up. I didn't know it was a clever idea, until somebody in CVS mentioned it. And then a few days later somebody in Petsmart and then in the Hallmark store.

I put all my "non valuable" store cards and library cards etc. on a little chain. I have punched a hole in them with a single hole puncher put them on the chain and throw them in my handbag. You know what happens: you stand at the check out and they ask for the card, which is all … (4 comments)

I think I finally beat those critters - 04/14/11 09:39 AM
I love bird feeders and I love birds. I don't really know all their names and species, but I think they are delightful and above all I love the idea of flying. Oh to be able to fly, but I digress..... Birds love seeds, but we all know who loves seeds too. Those darn squirrels. I love to hate squirrels and I have, as I'm sure you have tried, to beat those clever little rats in anyway possible that I can think of from my bird feeders. I don't want to write about the different things I have tried, because I'm … (1 comments)

Face lift your room! - 04/13/11 07:53 AM
Any time of year can be a great time to spruce up your home - with new colors, new styles, even a few new furniture and accessory pieces to breathe life and energy into a tired old space! 
Here are a few great ideas - guaranteed to "uplift" any tired room! 
1.  Lighten and Brighten!  Declutter!  What a great word!  Try clearing your rooms of excessive clutter - even consider downsizing your precious collections.  Brighten your floors with a new area rug!  Change out your window treatments to lighten your room!  Add a few accent pillows to your furniture for a … (5 comments)

Bringing your new floorplan to life - 04/12/11 08:10 AM

You know the old saying, "measure twice, cut once?"  Taking that extra step to make sure your calculations are just right can mean the difference between excitement and disappointment on the day of new furniture delivery.
Floor plans to scale are a great "first measure".  But the best way to make sure you've checked twice is achieved with the use of a little painter's tape!  Taking the dimensions of a piece of furniture and "taping" them out on the floor where you're thinking about placing your new furniture is a great way to bring your floor plan to life!  This … (0 comments)

Three Sure Fire Decorating Ideas - 04/11/11 01:49 PM
My friend Deb Bettcher a local interior designer and owner of the Devon franchise of Decorating Den Interiors is my contributing author today. Thanks Deb great article.

ONE:  RAISE THOSE WALLS!  
If your rooms feature low ceilings, you can definitely fool the eye and add more height to your walls by some clever wall accents.  Try selecting a vertical stripe design pattern, perhaps in wall covering or in a painted faux finish.  Even a carefully hung asymmetrical picture grouping would add a bit of height to your low ceiling walls and give you the added bonus of creating some exciting … (3 comments)

Why would you want to be unrepresented? - 04/09/11 03:59 PM
I got a call this week from a buyer who wanted to see a property of which she thought I was the listing agent. I was not and when I explained this to her she wanted the phone number of the listing agent. I asked her if she was looking at other homes and that I could set up all the appointments for her and represent her when she bought a home.
She politely declined saying she wanted to deal with the listing agents because she wanted to negotiate. I informed her that I could help her with negotiations and that as … (5 comments)

Looking for something to do this weekend in Philadelphia - 04/07/11 08:25 AM
It's April which means that the Philadelphia Antiques Show is on, this year is the last year at the Navy Yard, about 60 national dealers exhibit their merchandise for you to see and hopefully from their point of view purchase as well. The show raises money for Penn Medicine and is celebrating 50 years. It runs from April 9th through the 12th.
My brother Paul, will be exhibiting and i hope to get down to the show over the weekend as several dealers at this show hopefully will be doing The Main Line Antiques Show held in November at the Radnor … (0 comments)

Wine down Wednesday - 04/06/11 08:22 AM

I love friends with good taste in wine and food, especially after a long hard day working in the yard. Last weekend, as you may know if you read our blog, we tackled a long overdue project to chip/shred some branches that have been lying around. It is amazing when you have machinery how tired you get dragging the branches and small trees over to the machine.
Saturday evening we were just sitting back, enjoying some beer when our friends Bill and Nancy called and said they had a chicken they were cooking did we want to join them. As … (2 comments)

T/E school district has 27 new listings this week - 04/05/11 09:53 AM
In the last week 27 new homes came on the market, one more than last week, indicating the Spring marketing campaign has begun.
Two apartments priced between $262,500 and $285,000. Nine townhomes priced between $249,000 and $475,000 and sixteen single family homes priced from $249,900 to $1,595,000.
Six homes went under contract and 5 more that were under contract moved to pending, meaning that contingencies in the contracts have been satisfied. Like last week more homes are coming on the market than going off, so the inventory of homes is growing.
We see between 10-12 homes every week in this area, … (0 comments)

At last a tedious job gets done. - 04/04/11 08:13 PM
Last weekend Nick and I finally got around to chipping ALL the branches of the 100 plus trees we  (read: Nick) took down. Before you say: awful to take that many trees down I'll ex[plain the why in a minute. This all happened some 8-9 yrs ago and there had been this massive pile of tree branches lying in our wooded section of the yard.
They had of course started the decompose and break up, but particularly in the winter when the underbrush (read: weeds) don't cover or hide the pile, it always was a huge eyesore. So at last we … (3 comments)

Pre-Listing home isnpection or not - the pros and cons - 04/01/11 03:39 PM

Before you list your home for sale, should you do a home inspection? What are the reasons to do a home inspection and why should you not? Trudy and I disagree on this, but this is my opinion.
Reasons for doing a home inspection:
Transparency - allows buyers to see you care about the home and the transaction. You discover any issues that might arise later and cause the home not to reach settlement allowing you to correct the issues in your own time.Issues you find and correct now are cheaper to fix than when a buyer discovers them and … (2 comments)

 
From_disk Rainmaker_large

Nick & Trudy Vandekar Realtors Main Line PA Homes for Sale Lic AB067198

Devon, PA

More about me…

Long & Foster Real Estate Inc

Address: 92 Lancaster Avenue, Devon, PA, 19333

Office Phone: (610) 225-7400

Cell Phone: (610) 203-4543

Email Me

Some thoughts and ideas about real estate that might help you when you buy or sell.



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog

Find PA real estate agents and Devon real estate on ActiveRain.