Tom Blefko

Peak Behind the Curtain on Short-term Rentals

I’ve recently been asked by a number of people if I thought it was a good idea to rent their home through a national website to earn some additional cash.  After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Aside from your house being trashed while you’re away, here are three things to keep in mind if you are considering renting out your house on a short-term basis.

1. Legality

The rise in popularity of Airbnb and other sites hasn’t been without its controversy. There are concerns that short-term rentals threaten the jobs of hotel workers, and that a short-term rental doesn’t have to pass the same certifications and inspections of regular hotels. Finally, many investors are buying properties with the intent of renting them out, which takes housing off the market in areas with already limited inventory (check out this article from The Los Angeles Times to learn more).

Some cities have enacted restrictions against short-term rentals. You may need to register and get a permit or a license – or you may not be able to host at all. Check with your local government to make sure you understand the laws. Continue reading →

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REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) – A Powerful Tool for Today’s Real Estate Agent

The National Association of REALTORS® data product is a powerful resource for real estate agents that know how to harness its information.  Here is a presentation that will introduce you to the program and give you an overview of its unique features and comprehensive reports.

All the best!

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The Clock is Ticking

A User’s Guide to Meeting the 14 Deadlines in the Agreement of Sale

When a property goes under agreement, Buyers and Sellers typically breathe a collective sigh of relief.  Real estate agents on the other hand know that the true work is just beginning.

If a standard PAR (Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®) agreement of sale is used in a transaction, there are 14 deadlines that must be met in order for the parties to be in compliance with the terms of the agreement.  Missing any one of these deadlines can have dire consequences to the party that fails to live up to their end of the bargain. Continue reading →

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Folio for Gmail – Yea!!!

I’m not one to usually endorse services or products on my blog but I stumbled upon a Gmail extension the other day that I have to trumpet to my fellow real estate agents.  It’s called Folio.

Any agent that has ever processed a real estate transaction from start to finish knows that trying to keep track of all the paperwork, emails, conversations, deadlines, and notes is a daunting task.  The developers of Folio, Amitree, apparently felt your pain.  Here are some of the features that make this extension special:  Continue reading →

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Lancaster County Real Estate Market Statistics for February 2017

And you thought Old Man Winter had taken a vacation.  I think it was just a coffee break before he decided to really get to work.  Oh well, on to the numbers.

(Click on any of the charts to enlarge and/or download)

2017 02 February Market Stats - Avg Sales Price

A steady rise in average sales price bodes well for the real estate industry.  This past month, the benchmark inched closer to the $200,000 mark and was up 4% over last year at this time.  Homeowners across the board are finding that the equity in their homes that had been lost during the Great Recession, is making a steady comeback.  In fact, according to Core Logic, just over 1 million borrowers moved out of negative equity during 2016, increasing the percentage of homeowners with positive equity to 93.8% of all mortgaged properties, or approximately 48 million homes.  As the economy strengthens, this will only get better.  Continue reading →

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