pocono real estate

POCONO REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS FOR APRIL 2010

WOW!  Here it is. GREAT news in the stats for homes sold within Monroe County for April of 2010.

The number of homes sold for April 2010 in Monroe County, as obtained from our MLS on 5-4-10, was

UP 27% for the same time frame of 2009. Up 27% from April of 2009 to April of 2010.  Isn’t that Great!

(see chart below) In looking at the stats for the year (up to 4-30-10),  the number of homes sold in Monroe County is a positive number also – WE ARE UP 6% FOR THE YEAR. Has it been awhile since we have seen a decent positive number here. Yes, it has and we are all very happy to see this number.  However, do not let the drop in price percentage get you down because when you look at the year overall, we are only down 4% in our average sold price for homes in Monroe County for 2010 and that is considerably better than the 10% drop reflected just for the month. We must look at the overall picture due to the continual fluctuations in the market (snowy weather, tax incentives, holidays, etc. etc)

pocono real estate

Earth Day April 22nd 2010

A green real estate office – is that an oxymoron?

Who ever heard of real estate professionals using practically no paper? What about reducing a company’s carbon footprint by using clever methods of reaching customers?

In fact, when broker Vickie Brockelman imagined running a green real estate office, she knew there would be a need for different thinking, discipline and technology.

According to Brockelman, real estate offices are notorious for using reams and reams of paper. The old saying goes, if you want to kill a tree, call a real estate professional.

Brockelman wanted to ensure that Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way did its part to ensure the future of the planet and encourage other agencies to follow their lead.

So, she invested in lots of technology and created systems to save paper, time and fuel. The investment has been worth it according to Brockelman.

How do they do it? Using several large flat screen monitors, CRE professionals work with their customers inside the office so everyone only travels to one location. Or, CRE professionals use any of the office webcams to conduct tours and meetings without their customers needing to drive to the office. Customers can sort through homes in one location with a CRE professional’s help first via virtual tour rather than driving for hours and hours wasting fuel on homes that are not of interest. The relationship is still the same even though everyone is not in the same room because today’s technology makes everyone feel like they are in the same room. Everyone saves gas which reduces the carbon emissions, helps the environment and actually, everyone saves time as well.

In addition, all 18 agents of CRE scan all working documents into a central computer system. All changes and corrections are made to the scanned versions via email to limit paper use until near closing. In addition, all documents communicated to customers throughout the process, for example, monthly marketing reports and updates, are done via email. The result is a 99 percent paperless office, plus an added bonus of limited ink usage to print letterhead, limited printing means limited time running the printing press, less gas delivering the paper and a 99 percent paperless office.

Everyone’s favorite feature, though, is the planting of a tree after each property closing. And, since CRE is operating a hugely successful agency, that’s a lot of trees!

Happy Earth Day everyone. If everyone thought of one thing to change to lessen their carbon footprint, we could have a cleaner and stronger planet.

pocono real estate

Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way continues growth in the Poconos

COMMONWEALTH REAL ESTATE YOUR WAY, LLC, NAMES ANOTHER NEW AGENT

Mt. Pocono, Pa., — (April 12, 2010) –Long-time area real estate professional and associate broker, Libbie A. David, has returned to work alongside Vickie Brockelman, broker/owner of Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way, LLC., with offices in Stroudsburg and Mt. Pocono, Pa..

David started her real estate career in the Valley Forge area of Pennsylvania and moved to the Poconos in 1998 joining Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate. She earned an associates degree from Coldwell Banker University and received honors in the Coldwell Banker Multi-Million Dollar Club and the Coldwell Banker Sterling Society, both honors reserved for the very best of the best. She is a graduate of the REALTOR® Institute and holds membership in the Council of Residential Specialists and the Real Estate Buyer’s Agency Council. She is an active member of the National Association of REALTORS®, the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® (PAR) and the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® (PMAR) having served on the board of PAR AND PMAR in 2008 through 2009. In 2008, David was named the 2008 REALTOR of the YEAR by the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors.

Among her many honors and distinctions, David holds the Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) accreditation through the National Association of REALTORS®; the Accredited Home Stating Specialist (AHS) accreditation, the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) and the Certified Short Sale Professional (CSP) designations all from Realty University; the Certified Seller Representative from the Seller Agency Council and the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) from the Council of Residential Specialists. Each of these credentials is the result of hard work and commitment, experience in the field and extensive testing. Whether buying or selling, her depth of knowledge and expertise in these various areas of real estate offer her customers a wide variety of skills and services from which to draw upon to meet their real estate goals.
Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way, LLC., offers flexible options to buyers and sellers in terms of marketing plans, commission structures and levels of support. For more information, visit www.creYourWay.com or call 570-839-0411 or toll free at 1-888-333-0464.

pocono real estate

112 Prospect Street, Tobyhanna

closed – no longer on the market

RECENTLY REDUCED $99,000 ($129,000)

FRESHLY RENOVATED home in a super-convenient location with NO DUES and low, LOW TAXES. Huge party deck overlooks .5 acre-plus property that borders statelands. For even more great “new”s, check out the NEW kitchen, owner suite with NEW hardwood floors, NEW plumbing, fixtures, more! Just off I-380 near major work centers and medical facilities, shopping, schools, & Mt. Airy Casino. Call Karen Wagner at 570-972-0112 and ask about MLS# 10-2838.

pocono real estate

1099 Pine Valley Way, East Stroudsburg

Enjoy Toll Brothers luxury in a premier Pocono location. Bright, spacious design features 10-ft. ceilings, crown molding, gas frpl, 2-c gar, full bsmt, more. Daily rewards range from inspiring views with your a.m. coffee… to indulgent evenings in your owner suite w/Jacuzzi and private den. Plus outdoor fun at the Fazio signature golf course or the nearby recreation complex! Call Karen Wagner at 570-972-0112 and ask about MLS# 10-2703.

View Virtual Tour:

pocono real estate

88 Laramie Road, Effort

Gracious open floor Colonial on corner lot. 5 Bedroom, 3 full bath features hardwood floors, fireplace, full basement, central air. Minutes to bus stop and all the Pocono Attractions. Call Jeff Peterson at 570-972-0139 and ask about MLS# 10-2878.

View the Virtual Tour:

pocono real estate

6228 Park Place, Tobyhanna

Closed on 5/28/10

Contemporary with potential. 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 2 Car Garage, Full Basement, Living Room Fireplace. Call Connie Foland 570-972-0140 and ask abotu MLS# 10-982.

View the Virtual Tour:

pocono real estate

K634 Winding Way, Tobyhanna

3 Bedroom Contemporary in need of some work. Nice Wooded Lot, Living Room Fireplace. Call Connie Foland 570-972-0140 and ask about MLS# 10-2340.

View Virtual Tour

pocono real estate

Spring is in the Air and we in the Poconos are getting ready.

March is always the time of year when we get those few warmer days and everyone starts to get excited and ready for the coming beautiful weather. It is also a time when more buyers come out to look at homes and when sellers list their homes in anticipation of the onslaught of buyers. This year because of the extended tax credit which expires on April 15, the next 30 days will be super-busy with buyers wanting to close before the expiration and sellers who want to showcase their home to those excited buyers.

With the spring season close at hand and the anticipation of the tax credit coming to an end, it’s a great time to share some home ideas for spring cleaning and prepping and staging a home for sale.

The agents at Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way pooled their ideas learned over decades of real estate selling along with some Pocono area home staging experts for our three-part series to help you clean and fix your home, inside and out.

CLEAN UP THE DIRTY
The first step and the best way to prepare a home to sell is a thorough cleaning.
• De-clutter, purge and organize first
• Clean rooms to spotless
• Empty and wipe closets
• Shine Appliances
• De-clutter counter tops in kitchen and bathrooms
• Clean leather furniture to remove scratches
• Polish wood furniture
• Clean windows to sparkle
• Find the dust in places you have forgotten – refrigerators tops, under sofas, inside bookshelves
• De-gunk kitchen cabinets, microwave, oven, tile, inside refrigerator
• Dust drapes, mattresses and bed frames
• Dust framed art and ceiling fan blades
• Wipe window panes and home baseboards
The whole house presents better when wiped, vacuumed and mopped.
Some projects will require a little more time but will have big impact especially cosmetic touch ups:
• Professional carpeting cleaning (or, in high-impact area, a new, neutral carpet
• Wipe and touch up paint throughout the home (or put a full fresh coat everywhere)
• Install crown molding
• Install a new kitchen or bathroom countertop
•

THE QUICK FIX
Other items that might not bother you but would indicate poor home maintenance to a potential buyer are the little maintenance problems that you always want to get to, but never do. Now is the time to really pay attention to those little annoyances.
• Fix leaky faucets
• Lubricate windows and doors
• Fix loose handles
• Repair nail pops in dry wall
• Fix weather stripping in doors and windows
• Re-caulk tile near tubs and sinks, windows and doors

GET OUTSIDE
You’ve heard the saying “Curb Appeal” – well, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and that impression starts outside of your home.
In early spring:
• Throw the windows open to get the spring smell indoors
• Neaten and trim any damaged winter landscaping
• Add fresh mulch
• Plant some pretty spring flowers already in bloom
• Clean up and arrange patio furniture
• Spray paint chipping planters (even if empty)
• Spray down driveways
• Sweep and clean cement pathways
• Clean and stain decking
• Clean gutters

Now take an objective walk in and around your home. Be a potential buyer. What would you think of this home?

pocono real estate

SOLD! 538 Main Street, Gouldsboro

CASH ONLY!!! 1800’s Colonial in need of total remodel. 4 Bedrooms, 1.5 Baths, Large Wrap-around porch. Bring your Tools! Call Connie Foland 570-972-0140 and ask about MLS# 10-1622

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