Baseball

Lancaster County Real Estate Market Statistics for August 2017

Another successful year of Lancaster Barnstormer baseball is almost in the books.  It’s been quite a ride this season with two games left with the division-leading York Revolution and two games back in the standings.  Let’s hope they can squeeze out the final pair and force a playoff.  Now for the numbers – – –

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After a steady rise in average sales price over the past couple of years, August saw the first decline in a long time.  Not to worry.  Sales activity is still steady but home buyers are more active in the lower price ranges which has caused the average sales price to dip just a bit.

On the national front, the Case-Shiller Index of national home prices continues to reflect a healthy housing industry with no major red flags on the horizon. Continue reading →

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It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

American baseball legend Yogi Berra first uttered the phrase about baseball’s 1973 National League pennant race.  The team he was coaching was was way behind in the standings but would eventually rally to win the division title.  It’s not the only head-scratching quote attributable to this former catcher.  He is also responsible for “It’s like deja-vu all over again” and the thought provoking “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.”

But there is something about the “It ain’t over…” quote that applies to all kinds of situations in life other than baseball that continues to intrigue us.  It tells people to wait and don’t jump to conclusions because the struggle may just be starting.

When it comes to agreements of sale for real estate, this quote should be required reading for both buyers and sellers.  There are at least fourteen instances in the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® standard agreement of sale that could cause the transaction to become unglued.  If you get caught looking ahead to the settlement table, any one of these fourteen could jump up and bite you.   Continue reading →

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How to Deal With a Low Ball Offer

You just found out from your real estate agent that she’s coming over to your house this evening to present you with an offer.  The offer is from a buyer that had been to your house three times over the last several days.  With each showing you got more and more excited and made sure your home was staged properly.  You start thinking about that condo along the eastern seaboard where you’ll be soaking up the sun as soon as you sell your home.  You can almost feel the sand between your toes as you soak up the sun.

Then your worst nightmare becomes a reality – – – the offer turns out to be $25,000 less than your asking price!  Ugh! Continue reading →

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