What Price to Offer When Buying a House | Home Guides on SFGate.com

The first thing buyers ask when they’re about to make an offer is, “how much?” While I can’t tell you how much you should offer, I can help you make an informed decision. In the article linked here, I list some things you’ll need to consider. Call or email if you have any questions.

I recently was invited by Demand Media to write real estate articles for the Home Guides section of SFGate.com, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website. Here’s the first of what I hope will be a long series of useful pieces.

Pros and Cons of Home Warranty Plans | Home Guides on SFGate.com.

August 17, 2010 Posted in: Buyers, Poconos Real Estate, Sellers No Comments

A Different Kind of Fish Tale

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by At Home In The Poconos.

Charlie Conklin, proprietor of Big Brown Fish & Pay Lakes in Effort, PA and the Paradise Brook Trout Company in Cresco, PA, discussing his business during last Thursday’s West End Rotary meeting.

Would you believe Charlie started Big Brown when he was just 11? It’s come a long way. Charlie’s hatcheries breed over 1 million fish per year, which are sold mostly for sport and at his own pay lakes.

See Big Brown’s website for more information.

May 26, 2010 Posted in: Uncategorized No Comments

Can Deer Be Kept out of the Garden?

The bane of many a Pocono gardener’s existence is the deer that habitually feast on anything that sprouts from a seed. After reading on Facebook this morning that the spearmint my friend Darcie planted to deter deer had actually been eaten by them, I did a little investigating to see if it’s possible to keep the buggers out of the garden.

The bad news is, they apparently can’t be deterred permanently. On the upside, there are a number of measures that work temporarily. Maybe the answer is to use several at a time and change them often so the deer don’t catch on.

Read about these solutions on HGTV.com.

May 18, 2010 Posted in: Poconos Home & Garden 2 Comments

Pocono Tweetup moves its social networking offline | PoconoRecord.com

Pocono Tweetup moves its social networking offline | PoconoRecord.com.

Pocono TweetUp is famous!

If you’re interested in social media, please consider joining us. It doesn’t matter whether you’re brand new to the arena, are a power user, or fall somewhere in between. This group is about growing and learning together. Everyone has something to contribute. Everyone is welcome.

Visit PoconoTweetUp.com for more information.

May 15, 2010 Posted in: Uncategorized No Comments

Early Morning in McMichaels

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by At Home In The Poconos.

Sometimes, when the water is cold and the early-morning sun hits it just right, fog envelopes this pond on Rt. 715 in McMichaels, PA. The photo I really want is of the resident ducks in silhouette against a billowingly foggy backdrop, but this is pretty, too, don’t you think?

May 13, 2010 Tags: mcmichaels Posted in: Out & About in the Poconos, Poconos Lifestyle No Comments

Market Snapshot: Good News for Poconos West End Real Estate

Without a doubt, the question I’m asked most often is, “how’s the market?” It’s not an easy one to answer. What’s good for sellers may not be good for buyers, and vice versa. The current market, however, presents opportunities for both. For buyers, we still have relatively low prices, relatively large inventory, and low mortgage interest rates. For sellers, we have increasing pending and closed sales and, in some areas, higher prices, too.

Year-over-year market activity statistics for April 2010 put the West End, defined here as the geographic area comprising the Pleasant Valley School District, well ahead of the overall average for properties listed in the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® MLS system.

Between April 1, 2010 and April 2010, 41 West End homes went under contract, compared to 18 for the same period in 2009. This represents an impressive 128% increase. Overall, the number of Poconos pending sales rose 54% this April compared to April 2009.

While closed sales also are up in both the West End and in the Poconos as a whole, the West End’s skyrocketed 82% from April 2009 to April 2010 vs. the Poconos’ average 22% climb.

Sale prices also show more strength in the West End than in Poconos overall. The West End’s average sale price rose from $154,700 in 2009 to $167,000 in 2010, an increase of about 8%. The average Poconos sale price dropped more than 7%, from 154,804 in April 2009 to $143,436 in April 2010.

That said, there really isn’t “a” West End market, just as there isn’t one distinct Poconos market. The Effort, PA real estate market is different than Saylorsburg’s. The Saylorsburg real estate market is different than Kunkletown’s, which is different than Kresgeville’s and Albrightsville’s… And even within towns, prices vary widely. Within a relatively small area, for example, we have Indian Mountain Lakes, Pleasant Valley Estates, Sun Valley and Birch Brier Estates. Each represents a unique micro-market with little in common with its neighbors except geography.

If you’d like specific information for your town, or even your community, call me or drop an email. I’d be glad to crunch some numbers for you.

May 7, 2010 Posted in: Albrightsville, Birch Brier Estates, Brodheadsville, Buyers, Effort, Gilbert, Indian Mountain Lakes, Kresgeville, Kunkletown, Market Snapshots, McMichaels, Pleasant Valley Estates, Poconos Real Estate, Saylorsburg, Sellers, Sun Valley No Comments

Traffic, Brodheadsville style

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by At Home In The Poconos.

Crazy traffic in Brodheadsville on 5/7/10. It started south of Pleasant Valley High School and extended all the way past the Chestnuthill Diner and into Hamilton Township. Go figure!

May 7, 2010 Posted in: Uncategorized No Comments