Today we’re in the Bloomingdale Neighborhood of Manheim Township, an established suburban community in Lancaster County, PA with established landscaping everywhere you look. I “get down and dirty” with Andrew Landis of Showcase Landscape Services to discuss planting now, in late fall, for spring color.

Andrew brought along a bag of Tulip bulbs and the preferred hand tools for planting them. He talked about how to organize your plantings by color, type and locations within your yard. Since we’re having an unseasonably warm late fall, it’s still possible to get out there and do some digging while the temps are over 50 degrees. Andrew mentioned that you can get many bulbs planted in a half hour, so it’s not a big time commitment.

If you want to see a colorful landscape once spring springs in Lancaster County, take the time to “sow the seeds” of color before Christmas!

Read more at http://www.showcasegroup.biz or reach out to Andrew Landis at info@ showcasegroup.biz.

Are you looking to sell your home, or is your home on the market and you’re wondering if everything that can be done is being done? Look to the “Three P’s” for your answer…

Never mind what the market’s doing – how can you control that? Everyone chases their tail around trying to blame the market for houses not selling, but what good does that do? The listing agent’s job is to make sure the “three P’s” are handled – not perform miracles.

1 – Preparation

2 – Price

3 – Promotion

Watch the video episode (a whole 1 1/2 minutes) for the executive summary!

Today we’re with Josephine Stoltzfus of Sprama Design to talk about getting into décor in your home or apartment. Josephine is an experienced Lancaster PA home designer and talks about layering techniques and using color & patterns to pull things together.

While some aspects of design and decoration are best left to a professional in the field, Josephine was enthusiastic about the possibilities that can be explored even on a tight budget using relatively inexpensive pieces. Creative groupings, offsetting pattern sizes and color schemes that can be replaced as your taste changes are some of the ways she lays out in this video episode.

If you are interested in professional home design services (from décor choices to actual CAD layouts and working with your contractor) reach out to Josephine or her partner Harmony Boore at http://www.Sprama.com or 717-238-1001 anytime.

For tips on desgning for small spaces, check out this episode filmed in Lancaster City:http://www.youtube.com/user/yourlancasterhome#p/f/65/wFbE4TYK7jw
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Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Everyone is asking around Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania – what’s going to happen with home prices, and when will we see the “good times” for sellers? It all comes down to, would you believe it, economics…

Supply and demand. Demand and supply.

Let’s pretend the home market is at a certain level of activity – prices and supply of homes for sale. Now, something happens to change the level of buyer activity (rates dropping for mortgages, silly tax credits, etc) and homes begin to sell. Now, buyers become a bit frantic and sellers (and realtors) sense this and price start rising. Multiple offers, same-day sales, overall a sense of craziness. Sound familiar? That was 2003 -2007 in a nutshell.

Now, something happens to the market (say, a crash?) that puts a damper on buyer activity. All of a sudden there are “too many” homes on the market and the prices are still trying to go up, but the buyers are not playing that game (neither are the appraisers for the banks, BTW). As the number of signs in yards grows, the sellers are the ones who get frantic.

Finally, sellers give up and start lowering their prices to get the home sold and move on. Or, they default for whatever reason and the distressed property sells for a cut rate. Now the “race to the bottom” of the real estate cycle has begun.

Lancaster PA home sales are in this last phase now. Where is the bottom? No one can say for sure but I predict prices will have to fall another 10% to get close to a “reset” point in the market here (prices have already fallen about 8-10% on average). Obviously, good economic news and job creation through small business expansions will be a huge factor in resetting the market.

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

Today I add another installment in my short sale tips series – I met with our real estate team’s short sale negotiator Greta Olson. Greta is our point person for working with the lenders to get short sales approved and closed.
Greta talked about short sales in Lancaster County and how the landscape looks as of summer 2011 for sellers. The hardship letter and financials are an important first step which need to be provided to the lender bank, but even more important is to get an offer on the home since many banks won’t begin the review process until an actual buyer is ready to go. The valuation of the property is initiated by the bank and everything goes from there.

Greta’s role is to meet early with short sale sellers and guide them through the paperwork submissions specific to their creditor. Her presence can be reassuring to homeowners dealing with a tough, emotional time. Thanks Greta!

Other episodes in my series on Lancaster Pennsylvania short sales:
How To Buy A Short Sale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Nd3zTnzPM&
Lancaster short sales in a nutshell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfUFLCWdqqI&feature=related

There’s a lot more to short sales in Lancaster County, PA – or in your area too. If you’re interested in talking to a Lancaster PA Realtor about that market, I’d be happy to help at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com

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I think the Clash may have been on to something (although they probably would never have guessed) regarding the mental state of some homeowners right now.  Recently I delved into a few reasons why an owner who wanted to sell might want to think twice.  This week I was reminded of those other homeowners who’ve decided to invest in their current home rather than endure the vagaries of a home search/purchase/listing/sale/move.

In my neighborhood, just this past weekend, a young family commented to me about their decision to add a large deck & redo their kitchen/living areas rather than move. They’ve followed the local property offerings and come to the realization that they would rather keep their current surroundings and make the home changes necessary to accommodate their changing lifestyle.

Just around the corner, a retired couple I know who are empty-nesters decided against moving and added on to their home of many years to update the floorplan and provide a place for holiday gatherings, etc. for the extended family.  His statement to me was that they had looked for months at the MLS and found nothing that could replace their home’s location and feel to them.

I think this is great – people who know what they want, and who are willing to want what they have.  Isn’t that the definition of happiness?  And a line of credit can be a lot more painless than a move and new mortgage with costs…

For many people, making the move is pretty sensible (that’s where I come in): expanding family, job change, new priorities etc.  For others, though, it may make sense to re-envision their current home anew.  Have you ever made the decision to stay and remodel rather than move?

Today I’m talking about a theory I have about understanding homebuyer behavior – it’s called my “battery theory”. I’ve observed over many years and thousands of home showings a pattern where (with 2 or more buyers) there is pretty clearly a “positive charge” and a “negative charge” going on.

The “positive charge” person is likely the one who wanted to see the home, and encouraged the other to come along. They come in hoping to see their hopes confirmed with the property.

The other side is the “negative charge” individual – this is the one who wasn’t that interested in the property and may even have reservations concerning condition, age or other aspects. This one needs convincing that their fears are ungrounded.

As you can see, approaching a home listing with the “battery theory” in mind leads to planning to:

a) Encourage the “positive charge” person (s) through staging, lighting, colors, music, etc etc. – keep the good vibes flowing!

b) Encourage the “negative charge” person (s) by addressing possible mechanical and defect issues up front, offering a home warranty or even having the listing agent present at showings to explain things.

One last point – the roles of “positive” and “negative” will change most of the time since usually one person will like a certain kind of home over another. Keeps it interesting!

Questions? Love to hear them. Looking for a better agent? Let me show you what I do…you’ll be impressed.

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

Going into a search for homes for sale Lancaster PA with a prospective buyer means we’ll be dealing with NEGOTIATION – that wonderful back-and-forth between the seller looking to get as much as possible and the buyer looking for… well, the opposite.

I’ve found there are 5 key “points” to be aware of in negotiating the sale terms of a home in the Lancaster PA real estate market – I’m sure it’s the same for your area too.

I’ll work backwards from the highest point:

5 – the asking price of the seller (better known as the list price, of course).

1 – the initial offer price from the buyer (usually pretty LOW).

You can see how, if we know these points early on, we can influence the negotiations and make it less painful for everyone. That’s the goal – getting to an agreement without excessive pain.

Unfortunately for sellers today, the pain is going to mostly be on their side. Sorry!

So don’t be too intimidated by negotiations – it’s all about knowing you limitations and having a good grasp on the “happy middle” and whether it’s doable for everyone in the room.

I could go on about the more subtle nuances of these points but if you’re interested, let me know at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com.

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

Today I’m discussing real estate in Lancaster City, PA – in particular the three things that IMO make the difference when it comes to value and buyer interest….

1 – Offstreet parking (or garages).  This is HUGE issue for most city buyers, and not so common among the real estate inventory.  If you have one, it really helps (assuming the garage actually fits some sort of modern car).  As a home buyer, you would be well served to look for one but it does severely limit your search.

2 – Second baths – this is a biggie.  Almost everybody I start working with wants that elusive “half bath” in order to keep guests out of their inner sanctum.  However, many buyer ultimately settle for a home in Lancaster City with only one bath, which is perfectly fine with me.  Just remember that that 2nd bath is a great asset and should be trumpeted in the listing.

3 – Newer kitchens – yep, that investment in new cabinets, hardware, flooring or countertops WILL pay off in Lancaster City.  A fresher kitchen really makes a home stand out in the photos and in person.  If you have one, be sure to get big glossy photos of it up on the internet.

There are other important features of homes in Lancaster City, but 7+ years selling on all the blocks in town has me thinking these 3 are the biggies.

Any questions – love to hear them 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 your next home sale or purchase in Lancaster PA! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

A few months ago I made a bit of stir online with my video show episode “3 Reasons Not To Buy A Home.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4TETi13twY&) Folks expressed surprise to hear that coming from a real estate professional, of all people.
Of course, there really are valid reasons not to leap into home ownership — my video merely recapped a few more glaring roadblocks for the would-be house buyer.
The same logic can be applied to those who already have a deed recorded at the county courthouse. If you’re a homeowner who’s not in the midst of a foreclosure, there are several pretty good arguments against trying to sell right now:

1 – You won’t be able to pay everybody and walk away clear. This is more common than one might think. With all the cash-out refinances in 2006-09, combined with plateauing home prices, many owners just don’t have enough equity. Rather than live in denial and subject your listing agent to flights of price fancy, plan to stay for at least two more years to pay down debt and allow the market to (hopefully) rebound.
2 – The situation of the home is not incredibly marketable. It’s a rough time to own a house along any road even remotely considered “busy.” It’s even more problematic to have a home priced above $200,000 in the same scenario. Lack of bathrooms, garages and basements are hurting sellers more than ever as buyers enjoy large numbers of options. Given the option to sell or wait, perhaps discretion may be the better part here.

3 – Your house is eminently rentable. Right now the rental market for well-priced single-family homes is buzzing. If your house is close to things and/or in such a condition that you wouldn’t mind having tenants for a couple of years, you should seriously weigh the ups and downs of landlording rather than selling your asset right now for a reduced price.

At the end of the day it’s your call, and many owners don’t have any choice in these economic times. Be sure to make every decision carefully, especially the choice of listing agent to market the property. Diligence on your part will greatly assist in a softer landing!