The short sale train keeps rolling along – lots of short sales in Lancaster PA and the Lancaster County real estate market, just like yours I imagine. Here are a few tips on buying a short sale:

1 – The price should be very negotiable, since the seller isn’t trying to pay off the entire mortgage balance. Banks are accepting any reasonable offer in general these days.

2 – Realize that the seller’s mortgage lender will need to agree to the terms (in addition to the both of you). This may take a few days extra and they may balk at extra-low prices.

3 – Watch for “pre-approved” short sales. In this situation the seller has already submitted their short sale package and the lender has approved accepting a short sale. In Lancaster PA we are seeing more and more of these… any listing agent worth their salt will trumpet this fact on their MLS listing, etc. Pre-approved short sales will take days to weeks, rather than weeks to months.

4 – Expect to wait for everything – although banks are getting quicker about it, processing short sales is still a tedious process that can drive everybody crazy. Be ready to be patient.

5 – Don’t expect lots of repairs – sellers in short sale are by definition not financially able to effect repairs, and banks simply won’t do them. It will almost be an “as is” sale.

These are a few pointers on buying a short sale in Lancaster or wherever you are. Any questions – love to hear them at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com.

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Choose Jeff Geoghan for your next home sale or purchase in Lancaster PA! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

I show a lot of homes to a lot of people every year, and see all kinds of things. Today I’m talking about 5 simple rules for touring homes for sale based on my experiences:

1) Treat the home like your own – don’t do things you wouldn’t do at your house, for example pushing or pulling things to see if they bend or are weak, tracking muddy shoes through the house, etc.

2) Hands off – this is a great general rule. If you do nothing else, make a point not to touch anything except door handles and most things will work out.

3) Keep kids under control – this is a major problem when more than 2 kids are involved. Make arrangements to stagger the showing so one parent and then the other go inside with your agent while the other watches the kids in the car.

4) Avoid using bathrooms in the house if at all possible – plan ahead. Yes, I know, I know…but nope.

5) Leave the house the way it was when you walked in – close and lock windows and doors and put anything you needed to touch back in place. Report any issues to your buyer’s agent! Trust me, the sellers will find out.

Thanks, and if you have any questions please feel free to reach me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com!

Thanks for watching! Please take a moment to subscribe here athttp://tv.yourlancasterhome.com and pop over to our facebook page to “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/lancasterhomes

Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

LHOP’s core program is the Financial Literacy course taught by experienced staff members. This course exposes the prospective homebuyer to all aspects of the home buying process and ownership. In concert with this is a income-qualified financial incentive of $5,000 issued to the course graduate as a non-interest bearing 2nd mortgage that doesn’t need to be repaid until the house is sold. This program has been very successful — the 2011 LHOP class schedule is posted here: http://www.lhop.org/buying-a-home/class-schedule.asp . In addition LHOP recently contracted with the county to offer a Fair Housing program that will interact with renters,owners, industry professionals and beyond (this will be the subject of another video in the near future — stay tuned!).

Of immediate note is that LHOP is sponsoring a Home Ownership Fair on Saturday, April 9th at Liberty Place in Lancaster City from 10-3. Read the full flyer here: http://yourlancasterhome.com/2011LHOPHousingFairFlyer.pdf . The Fair will feature a number of local housing process vendors (lenders, realtors, insurance, builders, housing counselors) and a comprehensive set of 30 minute seminars covering important Lancaster County PA homes information (see the itinerary below). There’s no cost for this event and any prospective buyers whether first-time or otherwise are encouraged to attend. Of course, Coldwell Banker will be there…

If you would like more information on the Homebuyer Assistance program or other programs offered by the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership, or more info on the Home Ownership Fair in April, feel free to call them at 717-291-9945 or on the web at http://www.LHOP.org . As always, you can find me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com.

2011 LHOP Home Ownership Fair SEMINAR SCHEDULE:
10:30am — 10:45am
What’s Happening in the Lancaster County Real Estate Market?

11:00am — 11:30am
The Benefits of Home Ownership

11:45am — 12:15pm
Financing Options for Homebuyers Learn how to Purchase/Renovate at the same time!

12:30pm — 1:00pm
Life as a Homeowner…

1:15pm — 1:45pm
10 Secrets Homebuyers SHOULD Know!

2:00pm — 3:00pm
Aging in Place (practical home modifications, care programs, reverse mortgages)

Visit our homepage for Lancaster PA Real Estate

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Today I was in downtown Lancaster City, PA with a local interior designer named Heather Hough. We talked about designing for small spaces and rooms, something quite common in urban settings and in townhome communities.

Heather shared Three tips of hers for getting started with small spaces:

1) Think functionality – take the time to look at your spaces from a living perspective. What activities will be performed here, or there in a room? Breaking up a large open space into smaller workable spaces may be necessary.

2) Choose furnishings that complement the design idea – look for multipurpose items that can perform different tasks while looking good. An example would be using an ottoman with storage inside rather than a coffee table in the living space.

3) Don’t be afraid to decorate – use color (Heather’s a big fan of color as a style cue) and natural light in addition to textures to set off each space. Beware differing sheens, however as they tend to distract the eye. Have fun!

Heather is passionate about design and would love your comments here or at hdesignr@gmail.com to schedule a consultation. If you like our show please subscribe…as always comments welcome.

Visit our homepage for Lancaster PA Real Estate

Over in Manheim Borough is Baron Insurance Group and Christopher Vogt. Chris is a homeowners insurance expert and I wanted him to share some common pitfalls that home buyers in Lancaster County and beyond face when it comes to getting an effective insurance policy. Chris identified 3 tips for home buyers (and especially first time buyers) to get the best insurance for their money.

1) Look and the insurers’s track record. Some prospective homeowners will research the broker (as Baron Insurance is) but few research the actually insurer such as State Farm, Erie, etc. Chris recommended www.JDpower.com as a great resource to see how well the insurer does with claims and customer service.

2) Make sure the policy your broker is writing for you will cover the needs of your property. Not all $400 policies are alike! Ask about deductibles, dollar coverage, other hidden costs to you should an “event” happen. Pick the best mix for your property type & location (condo vs. farm, for example).

3) Don’t wait until the week before settlement to start the insurance process. Especially today, there can be conditions attached to the approval that may need time to take care of, such as verifying something on the property via a contractor. Try to start the ball rolling soon after your offer is accepted.

If you have any questions for Chris you can find him at http://www.baroninsurancegroup.com. Baron covers all of Lancaster County by the way… You can always find me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com. (c) Jeff Geoghan 2011

Click here to see more about Lancaster PA Real Estate.

In Pennsylvania there are specific types of property inspections detailed on the standard Agreement of Sale – but you may not be implementing any or all of them when looking to buy a home for sale in Lancaster PA.  Here’s a brief synopsis of the property inspections you may want to use.

General Home Inspection (“Whole Home” Inspection) – This is a big catch-all inspection clause in the contract, allowing you to check most everything within the home.  Most often, home buyers utilize a “Home Inspector” to perform the inspection with them.  See my episode a couple of weeks back with Herb Ingram from Amerispec where we talk about what Home Inspectors do & why.  These folks are going to be certified through a national organization for best results.  Beyond this, a home buyer can bring in any sort of contractor to inspect components of the house, including moisture and mold issues.

Home Infestation inspections – this clause on the contract allows a buyer to bring in a certified pest inspector to verify the home is free of critters, most commonly termites or other wood-boring insects.  Ants, bees and powder post beetles are fairly common home issues in Lancaster County.  While the Home Inspector generally has certification to do this inspection, I usually recommend a local pest company since they are also able to provide an immediate estimate to mitigate the bugs and offer a warranty against future infestations.

Radon – this odorless, colorless gas is found in the lower extremities of homes (usually basements or crawl spaces) in quantities that concern the state of Pennsylvania as a potential health hazard.  The magic number, in fact, is 4 PCl (picocuries per liter).  This test is a canister(s) placed by the Home Inspector to register any presence of the gas over a couple of days.  The canister is sent of to a lab and if the number comes back over 4 PCl, mitigation is recommended.  Whether you choose to elect this check is up to you, of course, and your personal concerns about Radon.  For more on Radon see the PA website.

Water Service and Sewage Service – These inspections seek to verify the quality of potable water at the tap.  Generally water tests are performed at the well, and results once again are sent to the lab.  Home Inspectors are usually able to offer this service.  If the home has an on-lot sewage system, a test can be performed to verify that it is fully functional and the approximate life left of the system.  These tests are performed by sewage experts.

Property Insurance – this inspection is meant to give a buyer the option to verify that a property can be insured – not whether it would be expensive however.  This becomes particularly important if the property is in a potential flood area or has characteristics that might cause insurance problems (knob and tube wiring or a cliffside location for example).

Property Boundary and Deed Issues – Pennsylvania is not a “survey state” so you don’t get a survey of the lot with your home purchase.  To have one done will cost at least $1,500 and just about nobody does them, unless there are serious likely boundary disputes with the home sale.  Of course, you can elect this inspection and pay to have one done if that is viewed as critical to the sale.  Also, you can elect to have the deed restrictions checked to ensure you have the use of the property you were hoping for (some property associations or neighborhoods have restrictions).  Lastly, you can verify that the property is indeed residential zoning (or commercial, etc) to ensure you will have municipal permission to conduct your preferred activities there once you buy.

These are the major property inspections on the Standard Agreement of Sale of Real Estate in Pennsylvania – I’m sure you can see how each of these might be important to a home buyer in different situations.  If you have any sales contract or inspection questions feel free to email me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com.
(c)Jeff Geoghan 2011

Paul tells us about how the salt-based de-icers bleed off of the walkways, driveways and other hardscaping to effectively dehydrate the lawn. The recommendation is to avoid salt-based products in favor of calcium or magnesium-based products available locally.

Letting the pet urinate on the lawn through the snow will also cause significant yellowing (no pun intended) if allowed to concentrate, especially in visible areas near your walkways etc. Turns out that pet urine is a major salt contributor to the problem… Recommendation is to spread the “pit stops” around the snow-covered yard to dilute the salt damage, or off the grassed areas to be totally safe.

If you suspect that the grass is going to be have trouble staying alive, use a gypsum product available locally to “flush” the salt through the turf very early on in the Spring. With this product it takes significantly less time and water to cleanse the yard.

If you have any lawn or grass questions, be sure to visit www.wisegrass.com – They are  Central PA’s authority on the subject. Email me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com with any comments or questions, thanks.

As a financial planner and a new-ish home owner, I’m always on the look out for ways I can furnish our house without breaking our budget.  Home Depot and Lowe’s are both within a ten minute drive, and so the opportunity to spend big is never far from reach!

However, I’ve learned that, in addition to online stores, we have quite a number of under-the-radar home supply and decoration options here in Lancaster County.  I’d like to share some of the options that I’ve discovered, and encourage you to share other opportunities that you know are out there, as I’m sure there are more.

Craigslist, which can be Lancaster County-specific, is a good first option for finding things that you can go inspect in person and pick up.  You can search for just about anything, and if Lancaster doesn’t have what you’re looking for, Craigslist will suggest other local areas that may.  I purchased the pavers for our backyard patio on Craigslist – and received two year old, almost perfect condition 6”x9” trapezoid-shaped pavers for 40 cents each.  I found comparable, but not identical, pavers at Lowe’s that were listed at over 2 bucks a piece.

The Lancaster Restore, a division of Habitat for Humanity, is a great option.  My wife and I frequent here monthly.  When contractors are working on houses, often they’ll salvage building supplies and then re-sell them through the Restore.  You wouldn’t know it by driving by on Route 30, but the place has an enormous inventory.  Everything from light fixtures, to drawer knobs, to windows, to toilets.  We scored ten 1’ sheets of backsplash tile for our kitchen for $5 a piece.  Similar ones were selling at Home Depot for $10-15.  We also purchased toilet paper dispensers for $2 and a medicine cabinet for $15 – which after the rehab of a bottle of spray paint looked brand new.

And my personal favorite: Wolgemuth Auction.  This is a monthly auction held every second Thursday at a simply gigantic property in Leola.  Both new and used building supplies are sold here, as well as returns from Costco and other local big box stores.  With auctions, you have to carefully inspect what you’re buying – but there are some serious deals to be had.  So far, I’ve purchased a brand new solid wood interior door for $5, a brand new stainless steel sink for $17, a brand new bathroom vanity for $17, ten boxes of new bathroom tile for $30, and a “lot box” for $1 which ended up containing three brand new digital thermostats, six 5-gallon drywall buckets, miscellaneous electric wiring, plumbing tools, and three door knobs.  Wolgemuth has everything from power tools to hand tools, kitchen cabinets to wicker furniture, insulation to lumber, doors to windows, and just about everything in between.  But – it is auction, and at times things sell for more than what you can get them at retail price, so you need to be weary of what you’re buying.  What’s that saying in real estate, Jeff? … Buyer Beware.

There are tremendous opportunities and deals available right here in Lancaster PA that can allow you to furnish your home without breaking your budget.  The trade off is convenience, and requires a little patience.

There are many different types of roofing materials that you can find here in Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania.  These roofing materials can be broken down into two separate areas, flat roofs and sloped roofs.

FLAT ROOFS

Single Ply roofs have really become the most popular choice for flat roofs due to their ease of installation and relatively low cost.  There are several types of single ply material and unfortunately they all go by alphabet names.

EPDM- The first and most popular single ply roof in Lancaster and York is EPDM, commonly known as rubber.  The rubber membrane is usually fully adhered to an insulation board which is mechanically fasted to your roof deck.  The membrane comes in various thicknesses (.045, .060, and .090).   I recommend the .060 membrane for most installations.  This comes in white or black, with black being less expensive and more widely used.

TPO- In the last ten years TPO membrane has begun to take some of the flat roof market share.  The TPO membrane is usually white although some manufacturers do have options.  The white membrane is highly reflective and if your roof is visible this is very good choice.  The seams for these roofs are usually heat welded.

PVC- This material has made quite a comeback after a disastrous start a few decades ago.  One of its great strengths is the resistance to grease and chemicals.   The membrane is usually white and maintains its reflectivity and appearance very well.  These seams are usually heat welded as well.

In the past we used to install a lot of built-up roofing and modified roofing on flat roofs.  We still see a few of them each year.  These systems are asphalt based and have become unpopular in Central Pennsylvania due to the cost and the smoke and fumes often associated with their installation.

SLOPED ROOFS

There are quite an assortment of choices for sloped roofs.  By far the most common choice is asphalt shingles.  Lately though, metal has really been making inroads into the roofing market in this area.   Here are a few of your choices for sloped roofs.

SHINGLES- There is a wide variety of choices in this category alone.  Shingles range from 25 year type to Lifetime and come in many colors and styles.

METAL- Once again there are a lot of things to choose from just in the metal category.  There are different kinds of metals copper, aluminum, or steel.  Alternate styles also exist, from traditional standing seam to metal shingles.

SLATE- This is one of my all time favorite roofing materials.   I like it for the aesthetics, durability and long life.   Slates come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles.   When installed properly it can outlast virtually any other roofing system.  We have installed many slate roofs in Lancaster and surrounding areas and they are all still in very good shape today.  Slate is often the top choice for universities, churches and upper scale homes.

There are a few other choices for sloped roofs like tile or cedar shingles.  We don’t see them too often in Lancaster County, but we do run into them more often down towards Philadelphia.

If you need help deciding which roofing material is right for you, feel free to ask me.  I love talking about roofing anytime.

(Joe can be reached at 717.291.4405)

By Mike & Matt Blank, MBC Building & Remodeling

Parents know that they rarely have the same ideas and opinions as their children – you might want one design while your 8-year-old daughter has a completely different concept in mind. Here are a few helpful decorating tips that aim to please the whole family:

First of all, talk to your child and understand his or her vision for the room and incorporate some of those ideas in the design.

Keep in mind your daughter or son are the ones living in the room, so even if it is hard for you to do, compromising with them on what they want and what you’ll allow will yield the greatest results for both of you. If you don’t want to get too crazy with painting, use a neutral wall color in the room; add punch and color with accessories and accents.

Here’s a look at some of the hottest trends for children’s bedrooms:

For Both: Functionality is important in a child’s room.

Adding items like a desk or table to work on is a great idea. Educational letters and images capture the imagination. Many online retailers have inspirational and motivational posters which can help instill focus, drive and passion in your little one’s as the dream big!

For Girls: It’s all about bright colors for girls, from purple to lime green to the ever-popular pink. Think personalized sweetheart pillows and throws. Adding items that can be personalized is a great way to make your child feel like the room truly is her own special place.

For Boys: Does your little guy love sports? Choose accessories that have his favorite professional logo on them, such as a bedspread or poster. If your son isn’t a sports nut, you can incorporate any interest into affordable decor that will personalize the room.