This home has been maintained and upgraded extremely well and is ready for you to simply move in with no worries.
Walk in to your enclosed porch then through a beautiful door which leads to a very long, spacious living room with recessed lighting followed by a dining room and then kitchen.
Some of the notable features include:
High Quality Pergo hardwood Floors throughout the entire first floor
Nice sized backyard/patio which is great for entertaining guest
Stairs leading to the second floor have been redone with solid oak
Updates throughout the home that include: new windows, doors, stove , new drywall and crown molding.
Upstairs you will find 3 large bedrooms and a bathroom. The master bedroom has 2 extremely large closets with additional storage above.
Over the past few weeks, our Remax Access office interior has undergone a makeover. We’ve had a few accent walls painted, paintings and photographs were put up, tv’s in our waiting area and conference room were installed along with many additional personal touches.
Here is a glimpse into some of our recent changes and remember if you are in the Northern Liberties area, stop by and take a look for yourself! We are located at 1033 N. 2nd Street 5th Floor Philadadelphia, PA 19123–@ The Piazza at Schmidts!
Richport Homes
New Construction properties located at Almond Street & Indiana Street in Port Richmond Saturday, July 17th from 11am-2pm
Sunday, July 18th from 1pm-3pm Homes boasts 9foot first floor ceiling, full brick front,and distinctive 2 panel colonial interior doors with colonial trim.Kitchen is magnificently designed with state of the art features and amenities including 42″ cabinetry,superior SS GE appliances.Energy Saving design features include energy efficient electric heat pump,central air conditionaing,electric hot water heater,insulated single hung vinyl windows,insulated front door,house wrap to reduce air filtration,etc.Drive through the electronic security gate to your private Asphalt driveway.
1028 Earl Street Philadelphia, PA 19125 Sunday, July 18th from 1-3pm Enviromentally friendly “Green Home.No rock went unturned when it came to upgrading this magnificent 3 story home. Located in Riverside, the heart of Fishtown (BLOCKS FROM THE PIAZZA AND PENN TREATY PARK) , it is a must see. The kitchen’s granite countertops and recessed lighting compliment the new, state of the art cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances. A HUGE, GREEN BACKYARD W/ DECK just off the kitchen-perfect for BBQing and playing with pets and familyy! On each of the 2nd & 3rd floors you will find two nice size bedrooms w/ enormous closets & 2 full baths. Also comes w/OFF STREET PARKING & a FULLY-FINISHED BASEMENT with a ½ bath. Master suite can be added with full price offer.
Just recently, I have had 2 appraisals come in low. Both properties were in the $200K range. One came in $17K low and the other came in $55K low. With the wrong agent involved, these deals can easily blow up. I recommend keeping your cool and begin to do some of the following:
What do you do when the Appraisal comes in low ?
1. Request a copy of the appraisal report and review – It is important to see the report so you can analyze it, assess it and see where they may have been errors. For example, on our two, one of the appraisers forgot to classify a finished basement and the other forgot to classify a 2nd full bath.
2. Assess Comparable Sales that were used – Look at the comps that the appraiser used. Do they make sense ? Are they inferior ? What types of adjustments were made ? In both reports in our case, the appraisers used comps that were in a different section with lower values. Also, both used a comp that was under a train line without making any adjustment for location.
3. Examine Other Comparable Sales that were not used- Study your MLS and look for other properties that are better comparables that may have not been used by the appraiser.
4. Let the Mortgage Professional know that you will be asking for a reconsideration of value. In most cases with the new appraisal rules, the mortgage company needs to begin the process in order for the appraiser to speak with you or to begin the reconsideration of value process.
5. Write a letter to the appraiser and the mortgage professional- State your case. Go over the adjustments, the inferior comps that may have been used, and the better comparables that should have been used.
For this really to work, you really need to know your market inside and out, have a strong reputation in your area and be a consummate professional. Yelling at an appraiser is certainly not going to help your case. And just sending higher priced comparable sales that are not good comparables for your subject property will make you look desperate as well.
Also, pick your battles. Believe it or not, sometimes the appraiser is right. There is no need to go through this time-consuming exercise if the appraiser is on the money. Try to negotiate the deal with the buyer and seller on these cases and save your fight for another deal.
So what were the results in our 2 recent cases ? The one that was $17K low came up $9K. We were able to negotiate the difference between buyer and seller. And the one that was $51K low came up $51K !! How about that ? Am very proud of that one.
To summarize, know your market inside and out, understand the appraisal process, be a professional, pick your battles and get more of your deals to the closing table !
Good luck !
And for you buyers and sellers out there reading this, all the more reason to have an experienced, seasoned and knowledgeable Realtor to represent you during your process. Nothing against inexperienced or low producing agents, but you get what you pay for ! Which in my experience is more deals not making it to the settlement table.
Recently, we have been enjoying settlement-pack weeks and days with all the deals that went under contract where the buyers qualified for the first time home-buyer tax credit. It has been an amazing run the first part of this year, but the question now remains what will happen the rest of the year in the Philadelphia Real Estate market as well as nationally ? And how best to position yourself if you are in the market to buy or sell a home ?
The good news is that it is still the spring market and mortgage rates are at historical lows so there will be that steady demand of purchasers who either did not qualify for the tax credit or for whatever reason, missed it. The bad news is that so much of the demand was pushed up to the first half of the year. So now the buyer pool will be much smaller the second half of the year. So what do you do ?
Buyers - Business as usual. You have more leverage to get a good purchase price as there is less competition in addition to taking advantage of historically low mortgage rates.
Sellers - Your property MUST stand out amongst the crowd ! Price your property below market value to get your home sold faster as the buyer pool is smaller. And of course, hire one of the best Internet Marketers in your area as the majority of buyers are finding properties online.
Then there is the national economy with the unemployment rate still hovering around 10 percent and the concerns going on overseas with the debt crisis and the potential fall of the Euro. Combine that with a potential fall-off of demand raises concerns about the second half of the year, especially the 4th quarter which includes the slower months of November and December. It is a shame that so much money was spent by the Federal Government on other programs instead of focusing more on housing which is the backbone of our economy. Even with that, the real estate market in your area will be dependent on local forces and your local economy. I think we will be walking a tight-rope in Philadelphia, but do believe we will make it out of the woods okay and foresee 2011 being a decent year as the economic recovery continues.
It will be interesting though with all the headwinds and uncertainty.
As we approach the final countdown of the homebuyer tax credit (as I write this, 5 more days), I wanted to share some thoughts. In our Philadelphia market, the homebuyer tax credit has been a HUGE success. Properties have been flying off the shelf in the last couple of weeks as the tax credit frenzy has hit full force. In many areas, there is even a housing shortage in certain price ranges. This really helps out our local economy with transfer taxes collected, helps build the communities and helps both buyers and sellers move forward with their own economic and financial goals.
So what is going to happen when the tax credit ends ?
Buyers with a pending deal or who have settled – Congratulations ! This will probably have been the best time in YOUR lifetime to purchase a house. Not only will you participate in the tax credit that can help you with home maintenance, repairs or just having the opportunity to save $8,000, you obtained a mortgage rate at historical lows and purchased a property at a much lower sales price versus the 2005 – 2008 period. With the affordability index at an all-time high, this could end up being the best financial decision of your lifetime. And of course you will have the pride of home ownership !
Sellers who have a pending deal – Congratulations ! Looking back, this will probably have been the best time of 2010 to have sold your home. Demand has been much higher which allowed you to get a higher sales price, especially in the last week or so with there being multiple offers on many properties. In addition, buyers are more loose on home inspection negotiations knowing that they are going to get $8,000 with the tax credit and knowing that if they do not go through with the deal, they will lose out on the tax credit.
Buyers still on the fence – Not sure what you have been waiting for or what else you need to make a move. But at this point, I would not just make an offer on any home just to get the tax credit as most of the well priced homes are already sold. The good news for you is that you will have more leverage as a buyer once the tax credit period ends as there will be less demand and less competition. Your tax credit will be on the sales price since I foresee prices dipping a few percentage points due to lower demand in the next quarter or two. However, I do not see that lasting too long, so do not wait forever as you will risk seeing mortgage rates back up to 6 percent and thus miss out and locking into that rate of a lifetime now !
Sellers who still have not sold - This is painful ! We have been blogging about this for months that your home needs to be priced aggressively to get your property sold ! If your house has not sold during this time-frame where demand is so high, it is time to take a step back and reevaluate. How overpriced are you ? Is your Realtor properly marketing the property ? Is it too difficult for buyers to gain access ? Is there some sort of stigma with your property ? How does it show ? Your risk is after April 30th prices will fall which is not good news to you. Still, there are a few things you can do. Take a step back, reassess your position and your goals , and consult with a top Internet Marketer in your area. Also consider your Plan B such as a lease-purchase deal, renting or staying in the property for another year. If you are in distress and behind on your mortgage, you may want to reach out to a short sale specialist. And do not forget you still have a few days so if you are reading this before the expiration, call your Realtor NOW and lower the price !
Will the tax credit be extended ?
I do not know. If so, that will change some of what I wrote above. Even then, most of the purchasers who wanted to buy, have already purchased. If it is extended, it will continue to create a bit of artificial demand that will help sellers. I think the good news for buyers is that the low mortgage rates provide incentive enough too as that saves them tens of thousand of dollars over 30 years with today’s rates versus a rate in the 6′s or even the 7′s.
Should the tax credit be extended ?
I am a bit ambivalent on this one. I could make a good argument either way. Let’s let the reader decide so please share your thoughts on this question and the rest of the blog post in the comments below !
1027-31 N 4th St L, Philadelphia, PA 19123
1-3pm
1 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath Bright contemporary Courtyard Condominium development located in the heart of Northern Liberties
Sunday, April 18th
313 E Wildey St, Philadelphia, PA 19125 1-3pm
Garage parking, 3 large bedrooms, a potential 4th bedroom for guests, and a contemporary split-level design boasting of 2,660 sq feet are just a few of the great features in this river-side Fishtown 3 story brick home
123 W Allen St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
1-3pm
At the Piazza Northern Liberties, this expanded, 2 br, 1.5 bath property is custom fitted, w/ contemporary luxury & old world charm.
Beautiful 2 Bedroom Home for Sale in Bella Vista! Home was remodeled 3 years ago and has so many great features throughout. Granite tiled foyer, solid hardwood floors in living room & dining room.
This 3 bedroom home for sale in Fishtown has 3 large bedrooms, a potential 4th bedroom for guests, and a contemporary split-level design boasting of 2,660 sq feet of living space.
It’s located on the river-side of Fishtown and includes garage parking. There is plenty of natural light throughout, vaulted ceilings, recessed lighting, oak hardwood flooring, and powder room on the 1st floor.
There is a beautiful formal dining room for entertaining and special occasions.
The 2nd floors offers wall to wall plush carpeting, plenty of closet space, ceramic tile bath and marble counter top.
The 3rd floor master suite has a walk-in closet, jacuzzi bath and double sinks.
Enjoy the skyline views from the 20×8 deck, a full finished basement for anything you wish, rear yard, and everything is only 6 years old with 4 years remaining on the tax abatement.
This 1 bedroom condo unit for sale in Rittenhouse Square is a spacious, bright, 1 bedroom, bi-level, Rittenhouse Condo located on a quiet tree lined street is waiting for you. This condo offers extremely low condo fees and is only 3 blocks from Rittenhouse Square! Everything you want or need is in walking distance!
Enter the building through a foyer with stairs leading to Unit C which puts you in the main living room. Some of the interior features include:
high ceilings
soaring 13 foot windows
central air
large open living and dining area.
Plenty of storage throughout the unit
The kitchen is completely updated with the following desirable features: recessed lighting, granite counters and stainless steel appliances.
3 Bedroom Home for Sale in Port Richmond, Philadelphia
Over the past few weeks, our 
Richport Homes
of Fishtown (BLOCKS FROM THE PIAZZA AND PENN TREATY PARK) , it is a must see. The kitchen’s granite countertops and recessed lighting compliment the new, state of the art cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances. A HUGE, GREEN BACKYARD W/ DECK just off the kitchen-perfect for BBQing and playing with pets and familyy! On each of the 2nd & 3rd floors you will find two nice size bedrooms w/ enormous closets & 2 full baths. Also comes w/OFF STREET PARKING & a FULLY-FINISHED BASEMENT with a ½ bath. Master suite can be added with full price offer.
Saturday, April 17th
Beautiful 
Other great features of this home include:
This 
There is a beautiful formal dining room for entertaining and special occasions.
This 
