About Berks County, PA

1Buyers are aware of the lengthy market exposure and usually attribute to overpricing.

2. Merchandising your property is done for results- overpricing reduces the response and ultimate, results

3. Buyers educate themselves with market comparables through various internet sites. If your home does not compare, it won't sell.

4. The proper pricing of any commodity, especially a home, results in an early sale.

5. Buyers will avoid overpriced homes and look some where else. Buyers purchase within their qualified range, so if a buyer is qualified at $100,000 and your home is worth $100,000 but it is initially marketed 20% higher at $120,000 the buyer who is Qualified at $100,000 will not be looking at it, and the buyers qualified in the $120,000 range will be feel it is overpriced and will not put and offer in onit.

6. If overpricing causes a home not to sell, the monetary loss and the many inconveniences to the owner could be overwhelming.

7. Homes usually sell at a Fair Market Value! Pricing a home realistically will bring an early sale, few inconveniences, and a greater monetary return.

When we are representing a buyer it is a good idea to share with them the secrets of what makes the seller react... their hot buttons.

When you are looking to buy a home, finding your Seller's hot bottom" could allow you to outdo rival bidders. As they say, timing is everything; here are three pointers for Sellers seeking to win through careful timing:

Think like a Seller- know Sellers time frame, its easier to build your offer that caters around the sellers need. Many times you can add a few buyer concession and get them if the seller feel like they are wining by a closing date that works for their unique schedule..

Speed up the process through pre-approval:

Buyers who are already cleared for financing are more credible in their offer to make a

A hasty move and hence have more bargaining strength, especially if the sellers are so hurried they can't risk a deal that might fall through. Put the Sellers needs before your own" Flexibility on your part has it's own psychological cost. You may be required to move midway though the school year for instance. Or if you've already sold your last house, moving on a delayed schedule could require you to move twice, perhaps taking an interim rental. Another strategy that would help sellers with a home under construction is to buy their old place now and then rent it back to them until their new place is ready. Only you can calculate the emotional and financial cost of meeting the seller's time schedule. There no simple solution- but the benefits can sometimes outweigh the cost.

In this economy sellers are eager for offers and are more flexible then ever, but the more you are willing to make your offer a Win for the Buyer and a Win for the Seller by give a little thought of the seller's hot buttons may yield big rewards for the buyer

You know that the economy is bad when the rich are holding off in buying fine Art and Real Estate

In a recent reports on the Art World Fine Art Sales are down. Is this a direct response to the Wall Street crisis and the lack fat bonus checks for members of the financial world?
The auction houses have yet to issue their end-of-year round-ups of sales results, but since publicly traded Sotheby's posts its totals online, we can do the math: Sales in 2008 totaled $4.83 billion, only a 9% drop from the $5.33-billion sale total for 2007.
If that doesn't sound too troubling, it's because year-to-date 2007 sales didn't overtake 2008 sales until November. The sales total for November and December was $752.21 million in 2008, a vertiginous 54% drop from the $1.64 BILLION in 2007. November contemporary art sales in New York, Sotheby's, suffered an even steeper decline---62%, from $418.32 million in 2007 to $160.94 million in 2008.

It had been reported that when the honchos of Wall Street would receive their multi- million dollar bonuses like stimulus checks for the rich, they would go out and buy a larger New York City Apartment, a vacation home and art usually contemporary art.

This post probably is not what you expected from reading the title!!!

The town of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, some years ago adopted a voluntary program to enhance community spirit and solidarity among community groups...!!! Most of the Boyertown, Pennsylvania sports teams are depicted as 'BEARS'...including the High School and local independent sports teams!!!

Many businesses and enterprises began placing 'BEARS' in front of their establishments...each bear depicting in some way the nature of the entity at whose guard it stood by virtue of its decorations...!!! I have placed some in this post as examples and tagged them accordingly...!

My parish of Saint Columbkill, located in Boyertown, recently decided to join in this community endeavor...

Obtaining a few sponsors to underwrite the expense of the project, a BEAR was commissioned to be placed at the Church location...

The BEAR is completed, decorated appropriately, but awaits its winter coat (actually it must be overlaid with a protective urethane type coating to guard against the elements to which it will be exposed)...

Our good pastor, Father Robert Quinn, a jovial and engaging leader, BEARS a striking resemblance to the new mascot...Come to our church someday and see for yourself...!!!

Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and spending my first 60 years there, it was a bit difficult to make the move about 6 years ago to Douglassville, Berks County...!

Now, it's not like Douglassville and Berks County are on opposite sides of the state from Montgomery County...in fact, Berks County is contiguous to Montgomery County (contiguous: a title company term meaning sharing a boundary line)...just slightly west and a bit north of Montgomery County...and in fact, Douglassville is only a 20 minutes drive to my office in Limerick, Pennsylvania...near the center of Montgomery County...

So much for the geography lesson...!

Surrounded by graceful hills in almost every direction, Douglassville provides a picturesque setting each time you look out the window, sit on the back deck, or stroll through the many small neighborhoods which unite to create Amity Township...aptly named for its peaceful and serene countryside!!!

The fresh country air, the clear visibilities, and the lack of heavy traffic combine to make the area a pleasant place to call home...!!!

And speaking of home...the kids have really taken to the Daniel Boone schools, which themselves offer a rather laid back approach to learning without sacrificing the essentials of acquiring a quality education...and plenty of cultural, sports, and extra curricular events to get involved in...

All in all, it was a good move to relocate to Berks County...

Berks County!!! We're SOLD on it...!!!