Monroe County, PA Real Estate News

Don’t Sell on Your Own Just Because It’s a Sellers’ Market In a sellers’ market, some homeowners might be tempted to try to sell their house on their own (known as For Sale By Owner, or FSBO) instead of working with a trusted real estate professional. When the inventory of homes for sale is as low as it is today, buyers are eager to snatch up virtually any house that comes to market. This makes it even more tempting to FSBO. As a result, some sellers think selling their house will be a breeze and see today’s market as an opportunity to FSBO. Let’s unpack why that’s a big mistake and may actually cost you more in the long run. According to the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers published by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 41% of homeowners who tried to sell their house as a F... 04/06/2021

Whispering Hills Ct, Effort, PA 18330MLS #PM-83886Tour This HomeESCAPE to your STUNNING MOUNTAIN VILLA. The PANORAMIC MOUNTAIN VIEWS will hold your attention prior to entering! The LOVELY POINT IS, you can enjoy that view from almost every room in the home. It is BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL! This home has a plethora of refinements. (please do walkthrough feature of virtual tour) Features begin with indoor SALTWATER POOL AND JACUZZI, amazing WIDE PLANK CHERRY FLOORING THROUGHOUT, indoor KOI POND WITH WATER FALLS and WALKOVER BRIDGE. TWO STORY THREE SIDED STONE FIREPLACE, LUXURIOUS MASTER SUITE with LOUNGE AREA, THE 2ND LEVEL entertains another LIVING AREA, 3 BEDROOMS,BATH, CATWALKS TOUR THIS LEVEL WITH BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OUTDOORS AND IN, FULL FINISHED BASEMENT with 2nd KITCHEN ,FULL BATH, SPACE to h... 03/24/2021

 Welcome Donna Slagle to RE/MAX Property Specialists in the Poconos Donna comes to us with 16 plus years in the real estate industry.Looking to buy or sell homes in the Pocono area call Donna Slagle at our Blakeslee Office. RE/MAX Property Specialists274 Rt 940Ste 12 Blakeslee SquareBlakeslee Pa 18610Office 570.972.2940Donna Slagle Cell 570.831.5982WebsiteFacebookDonna Slagle Mobile AppHere is one of Donnas last reviews: Bought a Single Family home in 2020 in East Stroudsburg, PA."I absolutely loved working with Donna. It was our first foray into Pennsylvania to find our dream weekend home. She was patient, honest, and knowledgable. After meeting us she steered us into areas that she felt we would like. She took into consideration my family needs and our budgetary constraints. Well, we ... 03/24/2021

Have you ever wanted to live in a storybook setting? Water elements such as lakes and streams? Endless wildlife at your doorstep? TRUE 4 Seasons of Mother Nature to experience? Arrowhead Lakes Community in northeastern PA's whimsical Pocono Mountain region is that place. Having lived there for some 13 + years I speak from experience. If you'd like to get on the list of interested home seekers please visit THIS LINK!                                                   WE CAN GET U HERE!                                                                                                        03/10/2021

What Happens When Homeowners Leave Their Forbearance Plans? According to the latest report from Black Knight, Inc., a well-respected provider of data and analytics for mortgage companies, 6.48 million households have entered a forbearance plan as a result of financial concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s where these homeowners stand right now: 2,543,000 (39%) are current on their payments and have left the program 625,000 (9%) have paid off their mortgages 434,000 (7%) have negotiated a repayment plan and have left the program 2,254,000 (35%) have extended their original forbearance plan 512,000 (8%) are still in their original forbearance plan 116,000 (2%) have left the program and are still behind on payments This shows that of the almost 3.72 million homeowners who ha... 03/06/2021

Dear Seller,Some selling tips are universal year after year.  What is the #1 tip for a winning sale this year... and every year?  A Bright, Clean, Sparkling presence throughout the home in good repair with plenty of fresh air and light from windows.  Whether it's your own elbow grease, a honey-do list, a hired deep cleaner or combination of above that gets the job done, the benefit to you of following a few words of advice is the payoff, the figure on the bottom line of your Closing Statement.  Buyers respond immediately to a home in tip-top sale condition. Their senses are peaked. Buyers perk up, pay attention, linger longer and feel like staying. They get so comfortable sometimes, time flies past their appointment. Your clean, bright, sparkling home worked that tried-and-true magic. I... 03/05/2021

Want to Build Wealth? Buy a Home This Year. Every year, households across the country make the decision to rent for another year or take the leap into homeownership. They look at their earnings and savings and then decide what makes the most financial sense. That equation will most likely take into consideration monthly housing costs, tax advantages, and other incremental expenses. Using these measurements, recent studies show that it’s still more affordable to own than rent in most of the country. There is, however, another financial advantage to owning a home that’s often forgotten in the analysis – the wealth built through equity when you own a home. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist for First American, discusses this point in a recent blog post. She explains: “Once you include th... 03/03/2021

How Smart Is It to Buy a Home Today? Whether you’re buying your first home or selling your current house, if your needs are changing and you think you need to move, the decision can be complicated. You may have to take personal or professional considerations into account, and only you can judge what impact those factors should have on your desire to move. However, there’s one category that provides a simple answer. When deciding to buy now or wait until next year, the financial aspect of the purchase is easy to evaluate. You just need to ask yourself two questions: Do I think home values will be higher a year from now? Do I think mortgage rates will be higher a year from now? From a purely financial standpoint, if the answer is ‘yes’ to either question, you should strongly consider buyi... 03/03/2021

What Are the Benefits of a 20% Down Payment? If you’re thinking of buying a home this year, you may be wondering how much money you need to come up with for your down payment. Many people may think it’s 20% of the loan to secure a mortgage. While there are plenty of lower down payment options available for qualified buyers who don’t want to put 20% down, it’s important to understand how a larger down payment can have great benefits too. The truth is, there are many programs available that allow you to put down as little as 3.5%, which can be a huge benefit to those who want to purchase a home sooner rather than later. Those who have served our country may also qualify for a Veterans Affairs Home Loan (VA) and may not need a down payment. These programs have really cut down the savings t... 03/02/2021

Why Owning a Home Is a Powerful Financial Decision In today’s housing market, there are clear financial benefits to owning a home: increasing equity, the chance to build your net worth, and appreciating home values, just to name a few. If you’re a renter, it’s never too early to think about how homeownership can propel you toward a stronger future. Here’s a dive into three often-overlooked financial benefits of homeownership and how preparing for them now can steer you in the direction of greater financial security and savings. 1. You Won’t Always Have a Monthly Housing Payment Personal finance advisor Dave Ramsey explains: “Every payment brings you closer to owning the house. When you pay your rent, that money is spent. Gone. Bye. Not returning. But when you pay your mortgage, you work... 03/01/2021

3 Reasons We’re Definitely Not in a Housing Bubble Home values appreciated by about ten percent in 2020, and they’re forecast to appreciate by about five percent this year. This has some voicing concern that we may be in another housing bubble like the one we experienced a little over a decade ago. Here are three reasons why this market is totally different. 1. This time, housing supply is extremely limited The price of any market item is determined by supply and demand. If supply is high and demand is low, prices normally decrease. If supply is low and demand is high, prices naturally increase. In real estate, supply and demand are measured in “months’ supply of inventory,” which is based on the number of current homes for sale compared to the number of buyers in the market. The normal... 02/28/2021

Millennials: Is It Time to Buy a Bigger Home? In today’s housing market, all eyes are on millennials. Not only are millennials the largest generation, but they’re also currently between 25 and 40 years old. These are often considered prime homebuying years when many people begin to form their own households and invest in real estate. If you’re like many millennials who are spending much more time at home these days, you may have a growing need for more space or upgraded features, making moving more desirable than ever. For those millennials who already own a home, there’s a great opportunity to move up in 2021. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com, explains: “Older millennials will be trade-up buyers with many having owned their first homes long enough to see substantial equity... 02/26/2021

Are There Going to Be More Homes to Buy This Year? If you’re looking for a home to purchase right now and having trouble finding one, you’re not alone. At a time like this when there are so few houses for sale, it’s normal to wonder if you’ll actually find one to buy. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), across the country, inventory of available homes for sale is at an all-time low – the lowest point recorded since NAR began tracking this metric in 1982. There are, however, more homes expected to hit the market later this year. Let’s break down the three key places they’ll likely come from as 2021 continues on. 1. Homeowners Who Didn’t Sell Last Year In 2020, many sellers decided to pause their moving plans for a number of different reasons. From health concerns abo... 02/25/2021

The Luxury Market Is Attracting Buyers in 2021 As more people continue to identify their changing needs this year, some are turning to the upscale housing sector for more space or finer features. In their most recent Luxury Market Report, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM) shares: “In a snapshot of 2020, despite the devasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the luxury real estate market has seen one of its strongest years since 2008. In comparison to experts’ predictions in early 2020, it is remarkable how significant demands for property type, location, and amenity preferences have changed amid the pandemic.” With more opportunities to work from home and a growing interest in having extra space for things like virtual school, working out, and cooking more meals, the de... 02/24/2021

Where Have All the Houses Gone? In today’s housing market, it seems harder than ever to find a home to buy. Before the health crisis hit us a year ago, there was already a shortage of homes for sale. When many homeowners delayed their plans to sell at the same time that more buyers aimed to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates and purchase a home, housing inventory dropped even further. Experts consider this to be the biggest challenge facing an otherwise hot market while buyers continue to compete for homes. As Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com, explains: “With buyers active in the market and seller participation lagging, homes are selling quickly and the total number available for sale at any point in time continues to drop lower. In January as a whole, the number o... 02/24/2021

Should You Buy a Retirement Home Sooner Rather than Later? Every day in the U.S., roughly 10,000 people turn 65. Prior to the health crisis that swept the nation in 2020, most people had to wait until they retired to make a move to the beach, the golf course, or the senior living community they were looking to settle into for their later years in life. This year, however, the game changed. Many of today’s workers who are nearing the end of their professional careers, but maybe aren’t quite ready to retire, have a new choice to make: should I move before I retire? If the sand and sun are calling your name and you have the opportunity to work remotely for the foreseeable future, now may be a great time to purchase that beach bungalow you’ve always dreamed of or the single-story home in th... 02/22/2021

Is This the Year to Sell My House? If one of the questions you’re asking yourself is, “Should I sell my house this year?” consumer sentiment about selling today should boost your confidence in the right direction. Even with the current health crisis that continues to challenge our nation, Americans still feel good about selling a house. Here’s why. According to the latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index from Fannie Mae, 57% of consumer respondents to their survey indicate now is a good time to buy a home, while 59% feel it’s a good time to sell one: “The percentage of respondents who say it is a good time to sell a home remained the same at 59%, while the percentage who say it’s a bad time to sell decreased from 35% to 33%. As a result, the net share of those who say it is a good time to ... 02/22/2021

47% of New Buyers Surprised by How Affordable Homes Are Today Headlines matter. Right now, it’s hard to read about real estate without seeing a headline that suggests homes have become unaffordable for most Americans. In reality, there’s hard evidence that shows how owning a home is more affordable than renting in most parts of the country, as record-low interest rates are keeping monthly mortgage payments about 23% lower than the typical payment of 20 years ago. Despite the facts, misleading headlines persist, and they impact how hopeful homebuyers perceive the market. In a recent survey by realtor.com, home shoppers indicated they were surprised by what they could actually afford when buying their first home. In fact, 47% discovered their budget was larger than they expected. George R... 02/20/2021

3 Ways You’ll Win When You Buy a Home This YearThere are so many great reasons to purchase a home, and over the past year, we’ve realized more of them than we ever thought possible. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, having a home of your own can give you a greater sense of security and accomplishment in a time that’s largely uncertain. If you’re a repeat buyer looking for your dream home, making a move might give you the space or features you need to find greater success and happiness in a new normal way of life. Whatever your motivations are, here are three reasons why becoming a homeowner now may help you win big in the long run. 1. Buying a Home Is a Great Investment Several recent reports indicate that real estate is still a good investment, topping other options such as gold, stock... 02/20/2021

  Here are the stats for Arrowhead Lake. The average Price for 2019 in Arrowhead Lake was $150,080 High $570,000. Average price for 2020 was $161,400 High $690,000 check out the data.  Looking to buy or sell in Arrowhead Lake give us a call RE/MAX Property Specialists 570.972.2940, for a FREE CMA to sell or call for our strategy on getting you your very own dream home! 02/18/2021