Havertown, PA

If you want to live outside the city but still crave the convenience of condo and town home living, you have a wide variety of options throughout Delaware County. The area contains a diverse collection of communities ranging from the east with traditional properties such as the Contemporary Village in Glenolden and the Wildman Arms in Lansdowne to the more recent additions to the north and west such as Green Countrie Village in Newtown Square and Runnymeade Farms in Edgmont Township.

With most of the communities under common maintenance, they allow the owners the flexibilty to come and go as they please knowing that their properties will be well tended. Many owners also look for easy access to primary transportation links. Two communities that are centrally located in the county close to major county crossroads are the Haverford Hill Condomiums and the town homes in the adjacent communities of MarpleWoods and San Francisco East.

The Haverford Hill Condominiums are located just east of the intersection of I-476 (The Blue Route) and the West Chester Pike on Glendale Road in Havertown, Haverford Township. They include over 400 one, two, and three bedroom units in several traditional buildings. This location affords easy commuting options both locally as well as into much of the Main Line, east and west along West Chester Pike, and to points outside the immediate area using The Blue Route.

In Haverford Hills, the pricing has remained fairly solid over the last several years with the two bedroom units rising from an average price of $149,000 in 2005 with 18 sales to $162,000 in 2007(14 sales) and $163,000 in 2008(9 sales). In the last six months 3 units have settled with an average price of $162,000 and an additional eight are currently on the market for an average list price of $174,000. The average price will be coming down as there is currently one unit pending with a list price of $149,000.

One exit to the south on the Blue Route (I-476) at the Route 1 intersection in Marple Township, you can take advantage of the adjacent communities of Marple Woods and San Francisco East located just to the west of the freeway. Located at the top of a hill north of Old State Rd, these communities contain over 200 town homes in a nice private environment. This location provides you with easy access to much of the area by both Route 1 (which becomes Township Line Rd and then City Ave as you head further north and becomes Baltimore Pike to the south) and I-476. You are also just minutes from Route I-95 and the airport.

With a nice mix of mostly two bedroom units in both communities, the average sales price has remained between $203,000 and $207,000 from 2005 through 2008. In the last six months, there has only been one sale for $190,000 and it appears prices are also heading down here with the current list prices averaging $205,000. This mirrors what we have been seeing in many communities in the county.

These are just two of the many options in the area. If you want to take advantage of suburban Philadelphia living but still want the convenience of condominium or townhome living, you have plenty of options from which to choose.

Feel free to contact me to investigate all the possibilities. Click here to view their exact locations on the blog map.

(All statistics are from the TrendMLS System and believed accurate but not guaranteed)

Today, we have another of Danielle Mateu's foreclosures but this time located a bit farther north in Havertown, Haverford Township PA in northeast Delaware County.

This twin is located just north of Darby Road and two blocks east of Eagle Rd in central Havertown. This is an excellent location within easy walking distance of the commercial area along Darby and Eagle Roads and just blocks from the Haverford Middle and High Schools. It also provides convenient access to the SEPTA Route 100 High Speed Line for commuting toward Norristown or Center City Philadelphia.

Hastings Ave is a 4 bedroom 1 bath twin with a partially finished basement and detached two car garage. The home has a newer kitchen, newer bath, replacement windows, front porch, and rear deck. This property is in better condition than most bank owned properties but will still require some light TLC. As with most foreclosures this is sold as-is and corporate addendums and preapproval will be required. The video shows it best:

This is a newer listing having only been on the market for 6 days, but it appears well priced for homes in the immediate area. Currently there are 6 homes on the market on the surrounding streets including both twins and single family properties with an average list price of $270,000. This pricing is roughly in line with the past six months sales that have had an average sales price of $274,000. In all Haverford Township there are currently 43 active twins with an average $245,000 list price. Thirty-eight twins have sold over the last six months with an average $226,000 sales price.

Unlike the other foreclosure properties that we have previewed, this demonstrates the good condition that can be found in some of these properties. Although this is bank owned, its condition is really more reflective of a private owner type property, and it appears to need mainly cosmetic work.

As always, should you have any questions or be considering buying or selling in the area, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

(All statistics are from the TrendMLS system and believed accurate but not guaranteed.)

Welcome to the Penfield Station on SEPTA's Route 100 High Speed Line connecting the 69th Street Terminal and the Norristown Transportation Center.

Penfield Station is actually the third station west of the 69th Street Terminal in northeastern Delaware County. Located on the eastern edge of Haverford Township, this station is a convenient stop for commuters generally from the Penfield section of Havertown and the Penn Wynne section of Montgomery County.

This is one of the smaller stations on the line and has very limited parking. It is an ideal local commuter station allowing the residents immediate access with minimal driving. All rail stops are on a requested basis right at the platform. The eastbound platform is adjacent to the small parking lot but it has plenty of space for dropping off or picking up passengers.

The surrounding area is primarily residential single family homes with some twins mixed in. The closest commercial is generally along Township Line Avenue just to the east of this residential section or toward Brookline and along Darby Rd to the south and west. The average sale price for homes in Penfield for the last year was $366,000 and there is currently one active listing. Just to the north in Penn Wynne Montgomery County, the average sale price for the last year was $328,000, but this reduced price reflects a much greater concentration of twins in the area.

As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

(Above information from TrendMLS System and believed correct but not guaranteed.)

Concerned about development in Suburban Philadelphia? Worried about revitalization of a commercial area? Looking at the impacts on the surrounding residential areas? Are you thinking of starting a business? Considering a move into the state and need to know what resources are available?

Last night, State Rep Greg Vitali hosted a free public Business District Revitalization Workshop at the New Manoa Elementary School in Havertown for anyone interested in improving and revitalizing the local business districts. In addition to brief introductions by various elected officials, the presentations included five representatives from various organizations which covered the spectrum of resources available for communities and individuals for both private and public improvements.

In order of the speakers, we heard:
- Toni Crawford-Major Regional Director Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
NewPA - State of Innovation - www.newpa.com/index.aspx
- Julie Fitzpatrick Special Projects Coordinator - Pennsylvania Downtown Center
Pennsylvania Downtown Center - www.padowntown.org/
- Laura Goodrich Director of Marketing - Delaware County Commerce Center
Delaware County Commerce Center - www.delcopa.org/
- John Fleming Lead Business Development Specialist - SBA
SBA - Philadelphia - www.sba.gov/localresources/district/pa/phil/index.html
- Glenn McAllister Director - Widener Small Business Development Center
Widener University Small Business Development Center - www.widenersbdc.org/

The above individuals highlighted the wide variety of sources of help and funding for many business, residential, and commercial enterprises. The organizations demonstrated the importance and wealth of support that the State of Pennsylvania is providing to its citizens to improve both the business and residential environment in the state. The above can be used throughout Delaware County and Chester County.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, I would encourage you to check out the above web sites and contact them with additional questions and to identify the appropriate contacts for your projects. As always, if you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

With the economy the way it is and the recent announcement that we are officially in a recession (Since 12/07, why did it take so long to figure this out?) I've been doing my part to get the economy back on track. I don't know why, but there is something about the holidays that makes me want to spend money, and this includes not only buying presents, but new clothes, and stuff for the house like (more) Christmas decorations. It is also a time when I decide that I absolutely have to complete all of the projects around the house I've been putting off in order to ready my home for the holidays.

There was speculation that holiday sales would be down this year, but early indicators point to a successful Black Friday. While, I wasn't one of the crazy people who got up at 4am to wait in line at Walmart, I did take advantage of Black Friday deals online, as well as in stores on Saturday, then again today, and I also made a few purchases before Thanksgiving in order to get a head start. I just checked my order status on Amazon and it looks like the giant 3 ft tall life-like pony I ordered is due to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, neither the kids nor the husband will be around when the FEDEX man rings the bell.

I'm helping out small businesses as well not just corporate giants. I had my sofa and loveseat cleaned today for the first time since I bought it 6 years ago. There is no longer any what can only be described as "gunk" between the cushions and the leather no longer makes a cracking sound when you sit down on it due to the cushions trying to become unstuck. (Thank you Metro Chem Dry in Havertown, PA)

Next up on the list is having a new light fixture installed over the stairs and finally painting the rest of the rooms in the house which still haven't been painted. Actually, this is pretty much a necessity because one of my children decided that sidewalk chalk can also work indoors and decided to color my walls a pretty pastel blue (and since the family room walls still have contractor paint on them, I can't even wash it off).

Which, leads me to wonder, are people really cutting back on spending this year because of the economy? Seems to me that if people have the money (or perhaps plastic) that people are going to spend regardless. I don't know that most Americans are so financially responsible that they are willing to forego buying unnecessary items like giant ponies, video games, etc. because of the economy. Did we all of a sudden realize that we shouldn't buy things that we don't need or can't afford? I would guess that those who are truly faced with hardships like unemployment or foreclosure will indeed have to cut back, but those of us who are more fortunate probably will not.

So, my next few weeks will surely include multiple package deliveries, trips to the mall, wrapping presents, hiding presents, and eventually the bill. It's all part of my personal economic stimulus package to help bail us out of this mess. Of course, if I can close a few more mortgage loans or help another small business get financing through our merchant cash advance program it would be even better.

Written by Michelle Chamberlain, Above All Financial Services

Homeowners, get the mortgage loan you need at www.aboveallmortgage.com

Business owners, get the cash you need at www.ezmerchantadvance.com