I have noticed that all the national news garbage about failing markets does not really apply that much here in our area. Yeah, things have slowed but there is little indication of prices falling. There are a few people that want to list their properties as if the boom was still happening but no real loss in value appears to be happening. Builders in the higher end of the market that started building in the middle to end of 2006 seem to be affected the most with price concessions and time on the market. I would be curious if anyone has other observations?  The lower ends of the market have extremely low days on the market still. Rates certainly are not prohibative. I hear from those in the lending business that the guidelines for some loans have tightened over credit qualifications which is slowing the lending a bit, people that can’t qualify that once did.

When the snow doesn’t snow and rain doesn’t rain, sleet and ice result. The sidewalks and driveways were a mess yesterday, Wednesday and it was a task just for snow blowers to get through the ice to remove it. When you own a home, the responsibility of the walkways and driveways around it are yours. A condo or a townhouse will give you the freedom to not have to remove impossible precipitation off your walkways. When looking for a home where you control the land around it or a townhouse where a community fee pays for the maintenance of your property, it is always best to decide how much time you want to give for the care of your home. If removing ice isn’t your thing, a townhome may be the answer.

Water pipes will burst, water mains will freeze solid and water ponds in your back yard are subject to harsh freezing.

Do you have fish or frogs in your ponds? Make sure the water doesn’t freeze all the way to the bottom.  Fish and water life will survive by assuming the temerature of the water unless of course the water is frozen. Then they become fishcicles. 

If you have the ability to cover the pond in very cold weather, it will insulate the air underneath and keep the water at slightly a higher temperature. Also your spigots outside are subject to breaking in severe weather. Places such as your local hardware stores and home centers sell covers for those outside spigots. For a couple dollars and 5 minutes of energy you could save a 200 dollar plumbing bill.  Sounds like a deal to me !

Here is one for the books; a picture of East Main Street in Mechanicsburg, Pa. over a hundred years ago. Other than paved streets, it doesn’t look much different. What will it look like in 2100? I wonder how much a house was priced at back then? Couple hundred?

 

The weather still has us in a deep freeze and water pipes tend to freeze and burst causing water leaking problems. Outside faucets only need a small amount of water in them to freeze and burst. It is best to disconnect hoses from the spigots and have non freeze spigots installed.  Years ago we didn’t use those outside faucets but with many people having ponds, with waterfalls, and hot tubs the need for using outside water sources has increased.

Here is one of Wildwood Park in the fall near Harrisburg Area Community College. A great place to walk, the path goes around the reservior and is about 3 miles long. There are hills on the path, you can walk your dog or ride your bike and the leaves as you can see are beautiful in autumn, plus egrets and ducks and geese as well as turtles are very plentiful.

 

 

This depends on the house and how secure you want to be in the house. If you do a visual inspection yourself and see things you don’t understand, such as cracks in the foundation, you may want to have an inspection done.

A Consumer Notice is something you agree to and sign before you work with a real estate agent. It relates the different ways an agent can work with you and it shows what that agent can and cannot do.

It is always helpful and attractive to a buyer if you can guarantee the structure of your home is sound. A home inspection can go a long way to build confidence in the potential buyer.

This post allows you to access and ask questions about the Harrisburg and Central Pennsylvania areas. Virtually any subject pertaining to real estate in this area can be addressed here.