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October 2014
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October 27, 2014

What Is Hot In The Condo Segment Of Center City Since 1/1/14?

Filed under: Center City Real Estate,For Buyers,For Sellers — Center City Philadelphia Real Estate Agent @ 10:57 am
Let’s Look At Condo Sales By Price Range:
Under $250,000 = 213 SALES
$250,000-$500,000 = 397 SALES
$500,000- $1,000,000 = 115 SALES
Over $1 Million = 63 SALES
Let’s Look At Center City Condo Sales By Zip Code:
19102 = 59 sales
  19103 = 195 sales
  19106 = 111 sales
19107 = 82 sales
19123 = 68 sales
   19130 = 131 sales
19146 = 66 sale
19147 = 61 sales
Let’s Look At Philadephia Condo Sales By Bed Count:
Studios = 38 SALES
One Bedrooms = 299 SALES
Two Bedrooms = 307 SALES
Three or More Bedrooms = 70 SALES

Per Trend MLS I am including all sale in 2014 in the following zip codes:

19102,19103,19106,19107,19123,19130,19146,19147

I sifted through page after page of MLS sale stats to come

up with these figures. The numbers may be off by a few…

So a hint of forgiveness is appreciated. Thanks.

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October 20, 2014

Condo Buying and Selling Etiquette

Filed under: Center City Real Estate,For Buyers,For Sellers,General Real Estate — Center City Philadelphia Real Estate Agent @ 8:09 am
 
For Sellers:
Keep the temperature of your condo comfy for showings
Make sure ALL keys work before giving to Realtor
Disclose ALL defects..but keep your feeling about your neighbor mum if you simply have an ax to grind
Deliver your Center City condo CLEAN and free of debris prior to settlement
Keep appliance manuals for your new buyer
Give buyers the name of the paint but throw away old paint cans
Leave a note in your condo about any quirks that the buyer may find
helpful such as trash day, neighbor contact info, mgmt info, etc.
For Buyers:
Be on time for your scheduled appointments
Eat and use restrooms prior to your condo tour with your Realtor
Keep sassy comments to yourself UNTIL we exit the condo…then
we can talk trash about what we have seen
Furniture and other unattractive decor items aren’t included.
You are not buying the sofa….So don’t be too judgmental
Know that the property will NOT be delivered in a state of cleanliness
that is up to your standards. A hint of forgiveness goes a long way.
IF you ask to see a specific condo…don’t change your mind
when you pull up to the building and think you want to “pass” on it…
For Open Houses:
Never allow any agent to pressure you to sign in…ever.
Be on time…and don’t show up 5 minutes after scheduled
open house closes
Keep your dog at home. NEVER bring a dog to an open house
If you are a curious looky-loo- no problem…just don’t try to monopolize an agent’s time – let them concentrate on the real lookers
Best not to be talking trash about what you are seeing
while still inside the condo. Zip it…
————————————-
Listen…I get it. Sometimes nice polite folks run afoul of the more general accepted practices in real estate…sh*t happens.
But do your best to play by the rules as emotions do end up playing a huge
part in any real estate transaction.
 
Trust me…I’ve got 25 years of witnessing hurt feelings
every now and again
and no one wants to feel like a goof when big money
is exchanging hands…
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October 13, 2014

Could you be dealing with a desperate seller? Here are some signs:

Filed under: Center City Real Estate — Center City Philadelphia Real Estate Agent @ 9:06 am

1) You see that the condo is vacant, and the front desk tells you they moved
over a year ago.

2) You Google the sellers, and You see that they own multiple properties,
and all of them are for sale.

3) You search the history (in the MLS) of that listing, and see the seller is on
their third listing agent.

4) You walk into the Philadelphia condo, it is vacant, the appliances are gone, and it looks
like the seller left in the middle of the night.

5) You read some unique language in the MLS listing about “seller makes no
warranties”, or “ corporate addendum must accompany…” usually means
corporate owned- aka REO.

These are all possible signs that the condo is ripe for an insulting offer.

Good Luck!

Mark Wade

CenterCityCondos.com

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox and Roach Realtors
530 Walnut St. #260 Phila., PA 19106

 

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October 6, 2014

Common Blunders in Condo Buying and Selling aka- Nit-pickin’ yourself out of a deal

Filed under: Center City Real Estate,For Buyers,For Sellers,Real Estate: Condominiums — Center City Philadelphia Real Estate Agent @ 8:14 am

Scenario 1:  Having the Last Word

Seller is asking $499k for a condo

Buyer and seller go back and forth on an offer and after a few days the buyer says -$480,000 is my “Highest and Best” offer for this parcel. And then seller comes back and says $480,001. Really? You really want to be a goof and say that? You are pissing the buyer off, and it will probably  cost you much much more in terms of anxiety, anguish, and animosity within the transaction as you are locked into a legally binding contract with this buyer for say the next 60-90 days. Perhaps you should just zip your lip and take the freakin’ $480k instead of having to have the last word. Don’t forget, buyers still have to perform a home inspection.

Scenario 2: Can’t See the Forest For the Trees

Seller asks $499k for a condo

A condo that is a bank-owned unit that should be selling for $800k if it weren’t so dirty, missing all the appliances, and listed with Susy Bag O’ Donuts out of Erie, Pa. (it happens…bank foreclosures are often listed by those with no connection to the area). And as a buyer, you get the Big-Brain idea to come in at $400k…because after all, the market is slow, weak, and uncertain.  OK….you are an idiot. If you can’t recognize such an overtly strong bargain, and see that the huge upside is the fact that the condo is grossly underpriced at $499k….then maybe you need to do a little more homework on prices and values here in Center City.

Scenario 3: Why Isn’t My Realtor Using a Magic Wand?

Sellers asks $499k for a condo

As a buyer, you top out at $480,000 and the seller will still not accept your offer. And recent “comps” suggest the seller is correct as no other unit in the building has sold for under $500k. You then turn to your Realtor and complain that you can’t get the property for $480k. And you are relentless. Even in the face of the facts. But you persist. You dump your Realtor because he or she refuses to wave their magic wand and make this deal happen. You then drive down the road, and see your Realtor Singing and Dancing in the middle of the intersection of Broad and Walnut. It happens.

Opportunity exists in all market conditions, and the current state of affairs in Center City should indeed be taken into account when negotiating the purchase or sale of any parcel in Philadelphia. But knowing when you have crossed the line and driven right into Crazy Town might be helpful when finding the perfect condo and help you negotiate the best possible and realistic terms.

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Philadelphia, PA 19106
Direct: 215.521.1523 ~ Office: 215.627.6005
Fax: 215.627.3142
Email: Mark@CenterCity.com
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