Buy a Home That Fits Your Needs

About the truck: That's Big Blue. It's the best darn vehicle in the whole world, let alone Dillsburg. It was free.

I don't mean to sound so bland and ultra-conservative. I'm pretty sure I'm neither of those :-)

I like to have nice things (just look at my truck!), and some of those are clearly wants and not needs. However, as a Realtor I see a number of people bite off a bit more than they can chew. This is especially true for some of the first time home buyers I have talked to.

Look, if you can afford a $450,000 5 bedroom home .... that's great (I'd be happy to sell you one!). But before you commit to that big mortgage, think about what you really need. What will work for you? Do you like to have one big party a year? How about spending $800 less a month and putting a fraction of that money towards renting out a park, an Inn, or even the Pride of the Susquehanna?

Now, let's face it. Part of being happy is liking where you live. Buy a nice home. Update it. Love your neighborhood. Just don't buy over your head, or you may end up living in something like Big Blue.

Housing Shortage or Thought Scarcity?: A Common Sense Proposal

Photo by Roberto Nickson from Pexels With low inventory, BOTH buyers and renters are having a challenging time getting into a home. A solution, one would think, is creating more available homes. A gut reaction would be to build big developments, with large homes or maybe a condo complex. But what if you could build a home on your current property and rent it out? I see small towns around me push back, and a common reason is "parking" . Meanwhile, a quick drive down their streets will show plenty of parking. And get this, the people that would shop in the now almost empty stores in their town wouldn't need to drive there - they would walk. Another pushback I hear is that a new structure will create too much non-permeable space . It's always an interesting thing to hear from a sector that listens and smiles - but does nothing - when I talk about clean water bills, riparian buffers, and other common sense solutions to a healthy local environment. The more I learn a...

The Reluctant Real Estate Recruiter: Me?

The phone rings and it is the daughter of a friend. Or maybe an old highschool acquaintance. Neighbor. Past client. They are interested in doing what I do. Full of energy. Almost all of them tell me they watch most of the HGTV house buying/selling/flipping/designing shows. They love looking at houses. I have to pause and remember what I promised myself a few years ago. When I first got into this business it wasn't long until my old brokerage asked me to mentor new real estate agents. The same demeanor that helps me form successful working relationships with clients today led to a thought that I would be a great ambassador for new Realtors 20+ years ago. Think again. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced that in 2023 they lost over 26,000* members. How does that happen? While there are some other factors (ie, selling real estate without being under the NAR umbrella, retirement, etc .. ) a reasonable assumption is an overwhelming majority of Realtors left the business...

Land, Views, and Garages

In today's hectic world, a number of people are looking for some room to breath and relax. This might mean a house on a couple of acres. It might mean mountain views. It might mean a giant detached garage w/ it's own furnace. Sometimes, with a little luck, you can find all of those things in one location .

717 Real Estate

Search This Blog