chester county: A video conversation ABOUT INSURANCE
- 04/11/24 08:52 AM
I was able to sit down with Shane McIntyre of Comparion Insurance Agency this week and cover several things about home insurance.
Some of the things we covered were:
Are you covered when a neighbor's tree falls in your yard?
Do you need an UMBRELLA Policy and what the heck is that?
How to shop for home insurance?
Who to call before making an insurance claim?
What is happening to rates?
What is an insurance credit score?
Check it out, it is quite long, but time flew, and we covered a lot.
Shane is just one of the many connections I have and offer to my clients when buying or … (4 comments)
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chester county: We are very lucky!
- 04/11/24 07:41 AM
This is like a coming soon post about a dinner we are attending/hosting this evening.
We are very lucky to have a wide group of friends and to live where we do. Firstly, friends - most people know a small group of people, well Annie is one of those people I discovered when we got married who stays in touch with everyone she knows, I would say 70% of our guests were from her side. Many of those friends are wine collectors, her previous partner who died loved wine and introduced Annie to many of his friends, and they have remained friends. … (12 comments)
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chester county: BlackLab Breads in Toughkenamon
- 04/01/24 01:14 PM
We can all lose ourselves in Facebook, but sometimes it is a place to discover a new bakery. I recently came across the BlackLab Bakery page, isn't that a great name, you want to go just because of the name. I haven't found a really good baker in our area yet.
Yes, in West Grove there is a Mexican Bakery which is great for Mexican pastries. But really good baguettes and Miche loaves. No. Well, looking over BlackLab Bakery's Facebook page I noticed their photos and they looked really good.
They are generally only open Friday and Saturday, and this weekend, I decided … (19 comments)
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chester county: Casa Carmen Winery, soft opening
- 03/09/24 01:24 PM
Casa Carmen, on Old Baltimore Pike in Jennersville, West Grove PA, the winery and vineyard that is right behind our home in Big Elk community has at last begun their soft opening. Every Friday and Saturday from 4.00 to 8.00 pm they will be open.
The winery had worked with Ryan Homes and offered all homeowners in Big Elk a complimentary glass of wine, distributing some tasting glasses at an event in the fall. Bring the glass along and your first glass of wine is free.
We have been busy the last few weeks, but last night we visited the tasting room, built … (10 comments)
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chester county: Sometimes you just have to be patient.
- 03/09/24 01:00 PM
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
A long, long time ago, it feels that way at least, I dug some holes in our yard and planted several tulip bulbs around our front walkway. Tulips need to be exposed to the cold and have to overwinter in the ground, preferably planted in the fall.
“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.”― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die
Well, then you have to wait, and wait, through the end … (36 comments)
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chester county: The Landenberg Store
- 03/04/24 08:27 AM
Michael J. Perry sent me a message last week with a link to The Landenberg Store. As my wife had the day off on Friday we decided to go visit as it is only about twenty minutes away and the link looked interesting.
Well this store is in Landenberg, obviously, right on the creek, and it was busy, we parked behind the store as the front was full, and when we went inside it was pretty busy. What had attracted us was the bread, which looked home baked, but, unfortunately is not, but still pretty good.
It seemed to be a place where … (11 comments)
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chester county: Wayvine winery in Oxford, PA
- 03/04/24 08:11 AM
Well, early March gave us a beautiful spring like even a summer day feeling with warm temperatures that encouraged us to get out with our dog and then see where we ended up. Our initial plan after our walk at Nottingham Country Park was to drive to Maryland and pick up some Shrimp, but when we got there the place was closed. So, on our way home we saw that Wayvine Winery, which we have not visited yet had some live music.
On arriving we saw it was pretty crowded with plenty of people sitting outside enjoying the weather. I sat with … (12 comments)
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chester county: This one didn't last long! Pending Sale 726 Mancill Road, Wayne PA
- 02/29/24 01:45 PM
Well, after lots of interest and multiple showings we received an offer and the promise of a second offer. My sellers did not want to be rushed as we had open houses planned for the weekend. However, when an offer meets most of the parameters that a seller wants, then the natural thing to do is to counter that offer.
Having done that, seller and buyer this morning reached terms acceptable to both, and both signed the agreement of sale.
Showings were cancelled along with the Open Houses over the weekend.
My seller is very happy, relieved to know that they are now able … (13 comments)
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chester county: Builders are buying up land in Chester County!
- 02/16/24 11:09 AM
Opportunities for landowners in Chester County are rising as builder confidence rises. By now every body knows about the shortage of homes for sale, resale and new construction. We currently are at about 40% of the number of homes listed compared to 2019. That is a significant shortfall.
Because of this, homes in Chester County, Delaware and Montgomery Counties and along the Main Line are seeing price rises giving sellers increased equity. However, the higher interest rates and lack of inventory are not allowing many of these homeowners to take advantage of this equity and buy something larger.
For the past few years … (10 comments)
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chester county: What is love?
- 02/14/24 12:12 PM
Yes, here we are on Valentine's Day again, it feels a little like Groundhog Day, it just keeps coming round and round. But, have you ever really considered what is love?
Love is an emotion, sure, but we use the word loosely. We love our parents, our lover, our spouse, our kids, our grandkids, our pets, our cars, our home, our favorite food, our favorite book or movie, even our jobs.
Do we love them all in the same way? Certainly not, but we use the same word, love.
Certain songs move us, that we say, I love this song. Here is a Youtube … (21 comments)
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chester county: Why a buyer consultation is even more important today
- 02/08/24 07:21 AM
Real estate is changing, it may not be obvious to everyone, but not only has the market changed the last few years with less inventory and rising home prices as well as rising interest rates but the rash of lawsuits is causing agents and brokers to examine how they do business.
Whilst you would never list a home without a listing contract, many agents have worked with buyers without a buyer representation contract. The plethora of lead sites, Zillow, Realtor etc., have caused many agents to turn up at homes to open the door to people they have never met and do … (12 comments)
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chester county: New month, new brokerage, new ideas!
- 02/06/24 12:48 PM
So my exciting news for this month is that after 18 years with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., I have moved my license to a new brokerage. I have joined Realty ONE Group Advocates in Downingtown, PA.
Located at 255 W Uwchlan Avenue Downingtown, PA 19335 this is a great location for me living in West Grove and working along and around the Main Line and Chester County.
I am excited by this move as I believe that Realty ONE Group Advocates offers my clients, buyers and sellers alike options in this ever changing Real Estate Industry. It allows me to be … (23 comments)
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chester county: Saying goodbye to Sindhu Manchester
- 10/18/23 08:31 AM
Sindhu Manchester, joined my team in the midst of the pandemic. She became a dedicated and exceptional real estate professional who has been a valuable member of my team at Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. Since joining our team Sindhu has consistently demonstrated outstanding qualities that make her an asset to our organization. However, people have life changes and when her husband was offered a position at the head office of his company in Rochester NY where they have many family members, they decided it was too good an opportunity to forego. So, we get to say good bye to … (8 comments)
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chester county: Hiking PA Series - Valley Forge National Park
- 09/11/23 11:12 AM
This series of posts on places to hike in and around The Main Line and Chester County can be filled with countless places. I recently moved to West Grove and close by me there is Nottingham County Park, with plenty of space to hike, cook out, and enjoy nature with a pond for fishing and space to ride horses as well. A new PA State park is planned and opening soon Big Elk Creek State Park. But, I cannot miss talking about Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Most people have heard of Valley Forge, many erroneously believe a battle was fought there … (15 comments)
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chester county: Video - long or short form video?
- 07/31/23 11:29 AM
Everybody tells us we need to be using video to stand out from the crowd. Not all agents are the same. For several years I have been using video. If you go to my YouTube channel Selling the Main Line you can see some of those past videos. I have shared some here in the Rain and there are links to two at the end of this post.
However, today, I want to discuss long versus short form video. Long form video is much of what is up on my channel currently. There are some shorts as well, but most of what … (33 comments)
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chester county: Big Elk resales 2023
- 04/05/23 11:01 AM
As the builder is still building here in Big Elk it may be too soon to expect resales. But people have different reasons for moving and sometimes they realize they might have made a mistake.
Whilst this is a 55+ community, and all the homes offer one floor living for the owner, they do include stairs and basements too.
All "The Villas", twins have been sold by the builder, so there is now opportunity for owners to resell if they want and hopefully find a buyer who missed out when the builder was selling. You also are not in competition with the builder … (3 comments)
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chester county: Chester County sees decrease in proposed residential building
- 03/03/23 07:06 AM
In Chester County in 2022 we saw a massive drop in proposed building permits to 789 from 3425 in 2021 and 2681 in 2020. These were mainly for single family detached homes, but with townhomes and apartments not far behind.
At the same time commercial development also saw a big drop from 2021 into 2022 but level with previous years development. This was mostly industrial square footage, followed closely by institutional, commercial, retail/other, hotels/resorts, office and then agricultural.
At the same time Chester County was praised for increasing the availability of affordable housing in the county. Median house price has risen from $350,000 … (8 comments)
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chester county: Willowdale Crossing, Kennett Square Real Estate 2022
- 02/16/23 10:36 AM
2022 Real Estate Results
Willowdale Crossing
Located in East Marlborough Twp and the Unionville-Chaddsford School District
Three town homes were listed and sold in 2022, compared to two in 2021.
One detached home was listed in 2022 and is still active compared to eight detached homes listed in 2021 and sold
The average days on market for detached homes in 2021 was 25, with an average sales price of $684,437
For town homes that have closed the average days on market are 18, an increase of 5 days over 2021 but that is still low.
The average town home price was $480,000 compared to $389,500 in 2021 a … (3 comments)
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chester county: You also need closing costs
- 02/07/23 07:31 AM
People often ask how much money they need to buy a house, and what they mean is how much money do I need to put down beside the mortgage?
However, there are plenty of other costs as well when buying a home. These are referred to as closing costs and you need enough money to cover these as well.
In Pennsylvania, we have transfer tax when real estate is sold, this is generally split equally between the buyer and the seller and depending on the township it can range from 1% each to 2% or more each.
Then you have title insurance, there are … (16 comments)
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chester county: How many days do you have to arrange a home inspection?
- 01/26/23 11:56 AM
You have found the home of your dreams, made an offer and it has been accepted.
Now what?
Well it all depends on how your agreement of sale was written and what contingencies were included. Today, I want to focus on the home inspection, as I have come to realize, that every state is different in how a real estate transaction progresses.
This post approaches from the perspective of a Pennsylvania, and principally a transaction on or around the Main Line and Chester County as even within a state there may be local idiosyncrasies.
Generally in Pennsylvania, an earnest money deposit is made with the … (11 comments)
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I was able to sit down with Shane McIntyre of Comparion Insurance Agency this week and cover several things about home insurance. 
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