About Devon's Old Forge Crossing

For those who live here, the condo association fee at first seems high but it covers lots of things.

Gas for the dryer, gas for cooking, gas for hot water, water, pool fee, tennis courts, exterior maintenance, trash collection, a club house and snow clearing, a host of social activities arranged for homeowners and those who rent here.

What it does not cover is the cost for the sewer, this is billed separately and this year it is $250, bills go out during February and are due March 1st, if you are later than March 10th there is a late fee. Like most places sewer bills are always in arrears, so you are actually paying for your 2011 fee.

Your other utilities cable either Verizon or Comcast are available is extra, gas for your heating and electricity are not included in your condo fee and are paid separately.

As I mentioned Old Forge has an active community, and some events taking place in the coming months are a Spring Brunch March 4th 11 - 1 PM to which you bring a dish to share.

March 16th St Patrick's Day Happy Hour at 5 PM in the Clubhouse

And the annual Old Forge Crossing Flea market and Crafts Fair Saturday April 28th from 8 - 1 PM. Contact the management office if you are interested in a table.

A good number to know if you live in Old Forge Crossing is the emergency hot line 610-687-5678 especially if you have a sewer or sink back up in the evening or over a weekend, call this number to avoid damage and stop any problems for your neighbors.

Old Forge Crossing is in a great location, it is a great place to live, either as a homeowner or as a tenant. Old Forge Crossing is an approved condo development for FHA loans making purchasing easier here than other condo developments not approved. If you need details on any available properties give me a call and we can help you.

What do you know about Old Forge Crossing? Today this well maintained 508 unit condominium plus one cottage complex in Devon on just over 40 acres is well known as a great place to live, well located for access to center city Philadelphia and just minutes away from major restaurants and shopping centers along the Main Line and King of Prussia Mall. As many businesses open offices in the suburbs and out of center city, Old Forge crossing is well located with easy access to Route 202 both North and South.

Old Forge Crossing was originally part of the land grant given by King Charles II in 1681 to cover a debt of sixteen thousand pounds sterling owed originally to Penn's father. He soon set up two offices selling parcels of land and sent his cousin William Markham over to Pennsylvania to manage as his deputy.

A lot more history can be read about on the T/E Historical Society Website where there is an excellent essay by Dick Henkels

This covers a wonderful description of the main house when it was for sale back in 1918 and explains how the whole development was built as a test case by the developer of Chesterbrook Richard Fox of Jenkintown. He then sold the development to Prudential who ran it as rental apartments before selling it as condos in 1981 when the condominium association was formed in May.

If you are interested in buying or selling in Old forge Crossing give us a call, we have many happy clients who either live or have lived in here and the condo is approved for FHA financing making it easy to arrange a mortgage if required. Walking paths, swimming pool, picnic area, reflection pond, three tennis courts, a barn and a clubhouse offering numerous social events such as Kentucky Derby Party, Superbowl party annual flea market make this a wonderful place to call home. Call us today, your next home is waiting for you.

Sales in Old Forge Crossing for 2011 amounted to 15 homes being sold through realtors on the MLS. 10 of these were one bedroom units which on average were on the market for 109 days and achieved a price of $155 per sq foot. Five two bedroom units sold of which one was a town home and these took slightly longer to sell being on the market for 124 days on average, however they achieved a price of $188 per sq foot on average.

Fifteen homes being sold over the year is not very many in Old Forge Crossing and sales only picked up once the development renewed it's FHA approved status allowing buyers to use FHA financing. Several sales were either of estates, or distressed sales pushing prices down in the development overall, however bear in mind that prices in the region have decreased and Chesterbrook has also suffered during this recession with a drop in prices which has challenged Old Forge Crossing prices.

For a complete list of sales for 2010 and 2011 please go to www.OldForgeCrossing.com.

We recently have had several clients decide to rent their units rather than try to sell them in the current market at Old Forge Crossing in Devon. Prices this year have really come under pressure, with one bedroom units now selling in the low to mid $130's, one bedrooms with dens selling for high $130's or low $140's and few if any two bedrooms selling at all, although there is one currently under agreement with a listing price of $210,000.

Rents are all over the place, depending on how updated the units are, the more updated the higher the rent. If you are thinking of renting you might want to consider buying, Old Forge Crossing just got approved by the FHA for mortgage financing as a condo development, making it easier to purchase a home here with an FHA loan that allows a 3.5% down payment and possible seller assist if the seller can manage that depending on their financial situation.

Having your own place has so many benefits, not least of which is the ability to decorate how you want, and not how your landlord desires, and to update when you can improving your own home. Owning a home has some tax advantages and allows you to automatically save over the life of the loan as you create equity.

So, if you like the Old Forge Crossing development with its over 40 acres of space, walking trails, pool, clubhouse, barn, and tennis courts and active social life give us a call and we can help you find the right place.

Many condo owners are finding it hard to sell their condos because the condo is NOT FHA approved, however sellers and buyers in
Devon Pennsylvania can relax because Old Forge Crossing condo association has gone through the rigorous process to get themselves approved by FHA to streamline the process for buyers of obtaining an FHA mortgage.

Remember, FHA also offers the 203K loan that allows the borrower to obtain a mortgage based on the improved value of the condo after repairs, allowing funds for modernizing, updating and general improvements. Improvements do need to be carried out by a licensed contractor and not by the owner on odd weekends, but this is a great product in older developments where maybe the unit you are interested in has some need updating to bathrooms or kitchens.

We currently have two units for sale in Old Forge Crossing, a one bedroom ground floor end unit 5 Old Forge Crossing and a two bedroom two bath second floor unit 39 Old Forge Crossing which has been totally upgraded and rehabbed in recent years including new heater and a/c unit, the upgrades throughout this unit with wood doors, great bathroom and kitchen rehabs make this a wonderful ready to move in to unit and now with FHA approval easy to finance as well.

Click the photo for information on Old Forge Crossing